


RWBY Redux

by Keaye



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canon Related, Canon Rewrite, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25918801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keaye/pseuds/Keaye
Summary: The story of RWBY retold from the beginning. The only difference will be the actions of the characters and the consistency of their powers. Tags, relationships, and characters will be added as they join the narrative.All major events and lore will remain the same. All characters will also remain the same. No OCs will be used.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Welcome to Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby Rose arrives at Beacon Academy for her first day of Huntress-training. It does not go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume I: Chapter 1

_Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond the tales of their exploits, forgetting so easily that they are remnants, byproducts, of a better world._

_Man, born from Dust was born into an unforgiving world. An endless darkness – creatures of destruction – the creatures of Grimm – set their sights on mankind and the lives they've tried to create. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void._

_However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named "Dust"._

_Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return._

"So what do you think of the situation?"

"Uhh what?" Ruby Rose asked in confusion. A black-haired young woman in her late twenties or early thirties held a strange looking microphone up to her face.

"What do you think of the situation?" The young woman repeated, "Surely you must have heard about the Dust robberies lately committed by the White Fang. They say only a few rogue members of the Faunus organization have been arrested and their leader has still not yet been identified."

"I, uh, don't know anything about that," Ruby admitted. As a fifteen-year-old girl, she could very naturally say that the news held very little of her interest.

The young reporter smiled with a hint of condescension, "Aren't you a Huntress-in-training? You're supposed to be defending the great people of Vale from these… thieves and criminals. What is Ozpin teaching his students if they're so uninformed about current events?"

"Buzz off, lady," Yang demanded.

"And what about you?" The reporter turned to Yang next, twisting her mechanical camera to zoom in on the older girl's face, "Do _you_ have any opinion on what's happening in this city?"

"I don't have any opinion, except I know you're not supposed to be here. This is private property and unless you're a student, you should leave before I kick you out," Yang replied.

"I'm an independent freelancer," The journalist responded calmly, "It's journalistic freedom to go wherever I please unless your precious Headmaster has something to hide..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Yang roared, "Just leave us alone!"

"You should take the time to watch my webseries... You may... learn something. The name is Cinder News," It didn't seem possible, but the woman was even more condescending than before. I'm currently covering the ongoing string of criminal activity around Vale and I must say, I'm _quite_ disgusted by how uninformed you are as students. I'm sure my viewers would feel the same way."

Yang threw up her hands in exasperation before walking off, "I don't have time for this."

"Yang! Wait for me!" Ruby called after her anxiously.

The young girl had not been ready for her sister's abrupt departure. After apologizing to the blatantly rude reporter, Ruby hurriedly dragged her large suitcase along in a vain attempt to catch up with Yang's long strides, "Where are you going?!"

"It's only one in the afternoon and I'm already annoyed," Yang complained, "I'm going to go meet up with some friends."

"But what about me?" Ruby tried to keep the whine out of her voice, but even she knew she sounded like a spoilt kid. With her dark, long-sleeved black dress and red cape, she appeared to be nothing more than a child playing the part of a hero in a fairy tale.

Yang didn't bother to turn around. "Just wait in the auditorium. I'll be there in about an hour."

"But where's—" Ruby struggled to keep her balance, tripping over the wheels of her luggage. As her support rolled away, she tumbled to the hard cement with a high-pitched squeal, "—the auditorium…"

Every student within a ten-meter radius turned to stare at the sprawled mess of a girl. Some laughed, but a few walked towards her, prepared to lend a hand.

All of that changed the moment they caught sight of her eyes.

"Oh gods…" The closest boy whispered. His hands shook as it hovered over his mouth in mute horror. Before Ruby could say a word, the boy ran away screaming. The others followed suit and within seconds, the courtyard was completely empty.

Ruby took a minute to assess her situation, her gaze lingering on the tallest spires Beacon Academy. She had hoped things would be different here. She had hoped she could make friends and memories that might possibly last a lifetime.

But nothing had changed. She was still Ruby Rose, a silver-eyed monster.

"Hey. Are you okay…?"

Ruby snapped to attention at the new sound. A tall boy with disheveled blond hair was standing immediately to her right, his hand stretched out in front of him.

Slowly, as if she were in a daze, Ruby reached out her hand, and he pulled her to her feet. It was the first time a stranger had ever initiated conversation. For a moment, she didn't know what she should do, so she simply stood where she was, staring at this strange boy with the blue eyes.

"Are you okay," He repeated.

"I…I think so…?" Ruby spun around, checking her elbows and knees. When she was satisfied that she wasn't injured, a broad uncontrollable smile appeared on her face, "Yeah. I'm great."

A small, awkward smile pulled at his cheeks, "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby," She answered quietly. Her name sounded stupid in her ears. Less like a word and more like a poor summation of who she was. She wanted to say something, anything to make herself seem less like an idiot. Maybe she could explain why she was on the ground or that she wasn't clumsy at all. She could tell him she was actually a very competent person.

Instead, she grinned uncontrollably at his face while the different arguments fought in her head.

"So…" He shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "Do you need some help with that?"

"Oh! No! I don't- It's not so big, and I dont—Umm…" The words came and then they didn't, a jumbled mess no one at all could ever hope to comprehend.

Jaune started to laugh and the sound was like music to her ears. It was nothing like the childish indulgence she received from her dad.

"Here. Let me help you. This thing is huge by the way. It's almost taller than you are," He reached for her suitcase, pulling it along behind him.

Unbridled, almost deranged laughter erupted from her belly, "Yeah! I guess it is!"

He grinned in apparent surprise, clearly not expecting this sort of reception for one of his jokes. "Yeah! You'd be the perfect-sized dinner for a Beowolf. Not too filling."

"Better than being tall like you! You're going to be the first target for a Nevermore."

Regret flooded in the moment the words left her mouth. He would take it as a threat or some sort of prediction. He would think she was creepy, and whatever chance she had of making a friend would disappear because she had no self-control.

But much to her surprise, Jaune didn't do any of those things. Instead, he just chuckled, slowing down his pace so she could walk alongside him, "Nothing's going to eat me. I'm too skinny."

"You're right. You're all bone. Not tasty at all," She returned with a grin. Jaune could still change his mind at any second, but the ridiculous amount of excitement in her system spurred her to keep talking despite her anxiety, "So are you also training to be a Huntsman or are you part of the trades wing?"

Beacon was one of the Big Four: The best of the best when it came to secondary combat schools, but normal students made up a large portion of the student body. They took classes ranging from mechanical engineering, weapons crafting, or even the medical sciences. All the students took classes together even though the Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training were given special privileges like more leisure time and use of the holographic classrooms.

Ruby could see Jaune was armed, though he turned away with embarrassment when he answered, "Oh…I'm here for Huntsman training."

Seeing Jaune's expression told Ruby she had stepped on the proverbial landmine. Everything about his demeanor said he wanted this topic of conversation dropped though she didn't understand why.

Neither of them said a word for a few minutes. The only sound between them was the rolling wheels of her suitcase against the pavement. While Jaune seemed determined with his silence, Ruby couldn't stand it.

"Soo… I've got this thing." She pulled Crescent Rose from the magnetic belt along her hip, the blade of the scythe falling onto the ground with an ominous thud.

Jaune back away in obvious alarm, "Whoa! What is that?!"

"It's a customizable, High-Caliber Sniper Scythe," She gushed with satisfaction. The weapon resembled a mechanical scythe except for an area halfway up along the handle where a series of buttons and ports were conveniently located. "What about you?"

Jaune's cheeks reddened considerably, "Oh… Uh, I got this shield."

"Ooh…" Ruby's trained eye roamed over the simple design of the face and the dull sheen of the metal. It was old, but clearly made of good, durable metal. "What does it do?"

"It gets smaller, so I can use it to carry my sword," A blush colored his cheeks as he turned away, quickly re-securing his weapons to his belt.

"That's it?" Ruby snorted, struggling to contain her giggles. She didn't want to injure his pride.

"I will have you know this was a family heirloom," He persisted stubbornly, "It was made for my great-great-granddad in the war."

"Didn't you get to make a weapon at school?"

"I didn't get the chance to…" He whispered quietly.

"Why not?"

Jaune didn't immediately answer, his discomfort visibly growing, "It's kind of complicated. I'm not sure you would understand."

"Try me!" She squealed optimistically.

He sighed, but didn't stop walking or run away from her, "I applied to Pharos when I was younger, but they didn't accept me."

Ruby didn't quite know what to say. It didn't seem complicated at all. Pharos was a beginner combat school, much like Beacon but for children from 10-17.

"Why not?" She inquired.

"I didn't pass the aptitude test. I couldn't manifest my Semblance."

Ruby could only stare at the impossibility of what she was hearing, "But…But you can use it now…right?"

He turned his face away.

Impossible. It was impossible. Beacon's Huntsmen program only accepted twenty students every year out of hundreds of applications. The selection process was a mystery, but the ability to use one's aura and semblance was a basic requisite of joining _any_ of them let alone one of the Big Four.

How was Jaune supposed to fight if he didn't know how to use his semblance? Everyone had one. Many people had a semblance unfit for combat, but at least they knew what it was. They knew how to use it. If someone were unarmed, their semblance would be the only thing that could save them from danger or give them an upper hand in battle. How was it possible Jaune had been accepted without the most basic requisite?

The pair once again lapsed into silence. Ruby didn't quite know what to say this time. She didn't have many interests outside of weapons and combat; both topics were already moot.

Perhaps she wasn't cut out for this friendship thing. In her first ever hypothetically real conversation with a friend, she had made him uncomfortable not once but twice.

Not for the first time in her life, Ruby wished to be more like her sister: free from any sort of limitations. Yang had no trouble making friends or talking to people. She was beautiful and funny. The perfect person and the perfect Huntress.

Without quite realizing it, the pair had made it to the front doors of the school. It was a towering marble structure; more than big enough to house a Goliath if it wanted. Through the opening, Ruby could see what appeared to be a hundred students milling around below an empty stage.

A pair of students turned to stare at her as she entered, whispering just loud enough for her to hear:

"I told you! She _does_ exist!"

"I can't believe it…"

"Stay back. They say she can turn people to stone."

"I thought it was just Grimm…."

"I hear they bring death everywhere they go."

 _Words_ , she repeated to herself. They were just words. They didn't mean anything. She'd heard them a million times since she was a child. She was used to it. It was nothing.

Jaune placed his hand lightly on her shoulder, "Hey. Don't listen to them."

"I…" Inexplicably, she thought she might cry. She thought she'd outgrown the tears. These things weren't supposed to hurt her anymore. After all the experience she had at Signal, this should have been easy.

But it wasn't. The emotions were bursting to the surface and she didn't know why. But perhaps more importantly, Jaune was still standing by her side.

"Why did you help me…?"

"…Uh, what?" He asked, clearly startled by her abrupt question.

"Back at the cliff, why didn't you just run away like everyone else?"

He said nothing for several minutes, standing very still as he stared at her with some unidentifiable emotion. Every second that dragged by felt like a lifetime.

When at last he spoke, she thought she had imagined it, "You reminded me of myself…"

That was impossible. There was no one else like her in the world. Silver eyes only existed in legends and stories told by mothers who wanted to lull their children to sleep. The tale of a hero, the myth of a God, or the legend of a monster.

"I saw you chasing after that girl in the courtyard. She was your sister, right?"

"Yes, but how did you-"

"I come from a long line of Huntsman. I have older sisters too. One of them is a teacher at Haven, one of them is a technician, but the other five are Huntresses. They all went to Beacon. Graduated with honors and-well-It's—," His free hand rubbed the back of his neck, clearly nervous to get his point across properly.

"Don't get me wrong. We're all really close, but…when I watched you chasing after your sister, I just thought…it just reminded me of myself with them..." He finished slowly while staring at the ground.

Ruby tried to see herself through his eyes; imagine what he saw, but she couldn't. Nothing at all came to mind, "I don't get it."

He seemed taken aback, a violent blush painting over his cheeks. "I just wanted to help you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm just saying I know how it feels."

"How what feels?" She pressed.

"You know…"

"Know what?"

"Oh, come on. _You know_."

"I really don't."

"Alone! Ruby. I know how it feels to be alone!" The words came out in an aggravated shout, and everyone who wasn't already staring, turned to look at them.

Perhaps for the first time in her life, she didn't feel the pressure of their gaze. Her head hurt, trying and failing to understand what Jaune was attempting to express. "You… You think I'm lonely?"

"Well. Aren't you…?" He questioned exasperatedly, "Look around you. Everyone treats you like you're a freak. Even your sister avoids you."

Anger started to bubble in the pit of her stomach, "Yang doesn't avoid me! What are you-"

From seemingly out of nowhere, Yang stepped in between them. She was much taller and wider than Ruby, capable of entirely her from view, "What's happening over here? Ruby? Who's this guy?"

Jaune appeared troubled by the sudden turn of events, but decidedly held out his hand for Yang to shake, ""I'm uh… Jaune. Jaune Arc."

Yang didn't take his gesture of goodwill, sizing him up before decidedly crossing her arms over her chest in protest, "Yang Xiaolong. What do you think you were doing to my sister?"

He pulled his hand back, letting it hang pathetically at his side, "We were just talking."

"Didn't look like it."

"I…" With every passing minute, Jaune appeared more and more uncomfortable.

The sight of him shrinking under the weight of her sister's scrutiny melted whatever anger Ruby held. He was a kind person. She was sure he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings in any way. Maybe she had overreacted. After all, they'd only met an hour ago. She couldn't blame him for making a snap judgement, "It's fine Yang. We're…friends."

The word tasted strange on her lips. New and foreign. Like a flavor of ice cream she never knew existed and she wanted more.

"We're friends…" She repeated firmly.

"Oh yeah? Well your 'friend' better watch his mouth, or he can't blame me for ripping his tongue out." Yang spat.

Jaune backed away, his hands in front of his face defensively. "Whoa… What is wrong with you?!"

Yang pulled her arms back and a soft click could be heard as Ember Celica shifted into place around Yang's forearm, "Why don't you come at me and find out?!"

His eyes shifted between Yang's face and her weapons several times before he took another step back. "I'm just going to go... It was nice meeting you Ruby."

"You too…" She answered softly.

The two sisters watched him go, his backpack disappearing into the crowd. After they were sure he was gone, Yang turned away shaking her head, "What a weak piece of—"

Ruby cocked her head in a question, unsure of what Yang was trying to say, "Weak piece of what?"

"Nothing." Her older sister responded quickly.

Ruby looked up into her sister's face. It was a familiar face, but also strange in a way. Despite being sisters, they looked nothing alike. While Ruby had taken after their mother, Yang didn't look much like either of their parents. She had their dad's blond hair, but that was end of any family resemblance. She was taller, heavier, and more curvaceous than their mother; appearing older than seventeen whereas Ruby barely passed for a teenager at all.

The two sisters stood in silence. Yang seemed preoccupied swiping through a number of pictures on her scroll. An assortment of men and women Ruby didn't know moved across the holographic tablet. Some of them had their arms wrapped around Yang's neck. Others showed them kissing her cheek or biting her ears.

"Did you meet up with your friends?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"How was it? Did you guys do anything fun?"

"It was fine. We just talked."

"Maybe I can come with you next time? I've never met your friends before," Ruby suggested.

"It's not your kind of scene." Yang replied dully. Her eyes never left her screen, seemingly absorbed in whatever it was she was doing. Her long hair was swept to the side, revealing an ugly purple bruise on her neck.

"You never know. I'm a little older now, and Dad said it was fine for me to—"

"Can we not talk about Dad?" Yang sighed. Her brows were knitted together in annoyance.

Ruby hated seeing her sister this way. Conversation used to be easy. Ruby didn't remember when her sister had changed, but back when they were children, the three of them were one unit. A happy, picturesque family. But then that relationship started to fall apart. Yang started staying out late. They started to fight. Dad started yelling at everyone and Yang stopped smiling altogether.

The room started to quiet as the Headmaster appeared at the front of the stage. Lights dimmed all around them, leaving Professor Ozpin as the only obelisk to draw Ruby's glance.

He was a famous man, supposedly a descendant of the last king of Vale and a great Huntsman in his youth. The tales of his heroic feats seemed too great to be believed, but Professor Ozpin was now mostly old and retired, with graying hair and a long cane. A precarious pair of dark glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, his voice was clear and crisp but notably annoyed:

"I'll... keep this brief. You have all traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. My school can offer you that knowledge but that is the only thing it can provide."

The Headmaster paused cryptically, taking a giant swig of what appeared to be coffee. His eyes swept over the crowd as if searching for something hidden between the ranks of his students. A jolt went through Ruby's system as his eyes passed over her, but they moved on, and the feeling faded to the back of her mind.

"Beacon can not give you a sense of purpose and direction. If you assume knowledge will free you of dubiety, you are wrong. It is up to you and only you to find meaning in your lives."

He turned to move to the right, slipping away into the darkness as another professor took the spotlight in his place. Ruby recognized her as Glynda Goodwitch: A Huntress who had made the news recently for capturing several wanted criminals.

She was much more beautiful up close than she had been on TV. Neither too young nor too old; her pure blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Shrewd green eyes glanced over the crowd through a pair of thin-framed glasses. Compared to Professor Ozpin, she was as straight-forward as a bright red arrow.

"Older students are now dismissed. Classes will resume tomorrow. As for new students, you will gather in the Ballroom tonight. Your Initiation begins tomorrow. _Be ready_."

The lights clicked back on. A curt and somewhat abrupt end to the opening procedures. The older students began to move. Some were collecting their luggage while others were heading out one way or the other. None of them seemed inclined to help the new initiates.

Ruby grabbed her suitcase, holding it close to her in case they needed to leave immediately. "Yang, I think we should go. Do you know where the Ballroom is?"

Before Yang had a chance to reply, a new face walked up behind them. She was dressed entirely in white. Even her hair was like a pure snowfall on a winter day. There was a bright, but stiff smile on her face.

"Good afternoon. I couldn't help overhearing you didn't know where the Ballroom was. I would be more than happy to take you."

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "That would be great, umm…"

"Weiss. My name is Weiss Schnee." She offered promptly with that same rigid smile. "Come with me."

She snapped her fingers twice and a fat, but tall man followed along behind her, pulling along a bellcart full of luggage. Ruby turned uncertainly to her sister, but the older girl just shrugged, a bored expression on her face.

Weiss didn't notice their indecision, already moving on to her next train of thought, "…Don't mind the butler. He'll be leaving once we drop off our things. You're Ruby Rose, right?"

"I—How do you know that?" Ruby spluttered.

"You're the talk of the school," Weiss gushed. "The first Silver-eyed Huntress at Beacon since your mother. I have no doubt you'll live up to expectations, what with being the youngest initiate Beacon has ever seen."

Ruby was speechless. She knew there would be talk, maybe some insults or gossip, but nothing like this.

"I'm sure you have some thoughts about whose team you want to be on. Everyone must be eager to unite with such a well-known individual such as yourself."

"Well I—" Ruby spluttered.

"Of course, I'm nothing to scoff at either. You shouldn't have any complaints about my abilities."

"Oh. No. I, umm-I don't really know."

The haughty girl stopped in her tracks, turning around to loom over Ruby. Despite not being very tall, Weiss seemed to dominate the little space existing between them.

"I must ask you to speak up. If this partnership has any hope of working, communication is very important." She declared.

Ruby hastily pulled back. There was just too much happening too quickly, and her mind didn't have to capacity the process it. She reached around to grab onto Yang's arm in a desperate plea for stability, ". I was just uh… thinking... I uh... wanted to be on the same team as my sister…"

From her obvious shock, it was clear that Weiss had not noticed Yang's presence at all. The girl spent a few seconds scrutinizing the latter before turning back around with an airy toss of her ponytail.

"You sister seems…capable enough. Teams are comprised of four members so there shouldn't be any problem bringing her on as well."

Yang paused mid-step before stomping her foot onto the ground so hard Ruby could feel the earth shake, "What do you mean _as well_? _"_

"Oh. You know." Weiss waved her hand nonchalantly; clearly unaware the other two girls had stopped following her.

" _No._ I don't know." Yang spit. "Why don't you explain it to me?"

Perhaps something in Yang's tone had rubbed her the wrong way because Weiss finally decided to glance back at them over her shoulder. She didn't seem the least bit surprised over the distance between them.

"Look. I'm sure you realize you're just here because of Ruby but—"

"Oh, is that what you think?!" Yang's eyes changed from a shimmering violet to a burning red as Ember Celica once again shifted into place, "Let's go! Right now! I'll beat the lien right out of your ridiculous hair, princess!"

A quiet, snooty sigh escaped Weiss's lips, "I would rather not makes enemies on my first day. After all, _my_ sister taught me violence isn't the answer to all my problems…"

Weiss's left hand flipped a rapier from her hip, pointing the tip of the blade at Yang's chest. A revolver enclosed in the hilt moved as something locked into place.

"However, she also taught me my manners. I am happy to pass along my lessons."

About fifteen minutes later, their luggage was left with the butler and the girls were standing in a grassy part of the courtyard. A small crowd had gathered around them with Yang and Weiss in the center. It was the first fight of the year and the news had spread fast.

"Yang. Are you sure about this?" Ruby whispered nervously.

"Just keep watch on the scrolls."

Yang and Weiss's holographic tablets had already been synchronized to her own. The faces of the two combatants showed on Ruby's screen with several tidbits of information. Beneath their portraits were two bars indicating their aura levels. Both were completely full. "It's…It's ready."

"Then let's do this."

Without another word, Yang threw herself forward. Ember Celica blasted behind her, propelling her faster than humanly possible. It wasn't fast enough.

Some sort of circular diagram appeared on the ground where Weiss had been standing. She flew backward, out of range for Yang's first strike. Yang's punches kept coming, but more and more symbols appeared all around them. The revolver in her rapier seemed to move back and forth. Only now did Ruby notice the colors, the Dust, changing the hue of the images Weiss created.

The arrogant girl spun around Yang like a dancer. Just narrowly escaping every one of her sister's attacks. Those strange cicrles did more than pull Weiss back. Some of them caught her like a platform while another propelled her skyward. Always just out of reach.

"Can you do anything besides run?!" Yang roared.

Weiss didn't respond. The revolver shifted again. The glyph started to rotate, spinning as the colors switched from white to blue and Yang was thrown into a tree by an invisible hand. Weiss went on the offense. Her rapier was fast, moving so quickly it appeared the tip of her blade was striking multiple places at once.

 _Glyphs._ Ruby thought. She had seen them before. During the Vytal Tournament several years ago, an Atlesian girl had fought with that exact Semblance. A girl who looked remarkably similar to the student now fighting in the middle of Beacon's courtyard.

Yang didn't try to escape the onslaught of attacks, taking a stab to the chest to grab hold of Weiss's rapier. She pulled her opponent forward while punching her squarely in the stomach. Weiss's eyes bulged in her face as she flew backward into the dirt, rolling into the crowd.

Yang fired after her, the bullets sending the spectators running and blasting pockets full of grass and dirt into the air with every punch she threw. Weiss flipped in the air to land on her feet as another glyph appeared to shield her from Yang's firepower.

Ruby's sister dived at the shield, smashing through the barrier and hitting Weiss squarely under the chin.

The blowback lifted Weiss off her feet. Yang jumped after her, smashing the defenseless girl back down into the ground. The shockwave was massive. Weiss's aura took a nosedive, dropping from a deep yellow to a dangerous orange. Her aura could shatter at any minute and every punch she took after that would easily break her bones if not kill her.

"Yang! I think you should-" Ruby's pleas fell on deaf ears. Neither girl was listening to her.

Weiss's revolver spun again as the glyph beneath her glowed blue. Yang shot forward, but Weiss stabbed her rapier straight into the ground as ice shot up in in giant slabs. They only held Yang for a second before she blasted through it, rolling to the ground to regain her momentum.

But Weiss was too fast. Shots of red fire and blue icicles sailed from the tip of her rapier, like homing missiles. Yang slowed her momentum, kicking out the projectiles blocking her path. She was getting stronger, but her aura was dangerously low. When Yang's attention had refocused, Weiss was already too close. Her rapier glowed white.

Yang tried to get one more hit, but there just wasn't enough time.

Weiss stabbed the rapier into Yang's chest. Aura kept the stab from being fatal, but the burst from the attack forced Yang into the crowd. They scurried out of the way. Yang's aura flashed yellow before it died completely.

"Yang!" Ruby cried in alarm.

"Stay back!" Her sister growled angrily. Yang's face was bleeding from a cut to the top-right corner of her forehead, "I don't need your help!"

"But—"

"I said I don't need your help!" She swung her fists down with so much force, Ember Celica discharged behind her, sending another group of spectators running.

Without another word, she crawled to her feet and limped away, cradling one arm with the other.

"Yang!" Ruby called, "Yang, come back!"

"Just leave her be," Weiss derided. The winner of the match was kneeling on the ground, her rapier stabbed into the dirt. She was visibly tired, but mostly unharmed. A quick scan of her stats told Ruby that the pompous girl was fine. Her aura was almost depleted but that was nothing a good night's rest and a hearty meal wouldn't fix.

When she spoke, her lofty energy more than confirmed what Ruby could already see.

"Your sister will cry over her loss and she'll come back when she gets over being a whiny brat."

Ruby wanted to tear out the girl's voice box. "Shut up! You don't know anything about Yang! You don't know anything about me! You have no right to say those things!"

Weiss stared at her in clear disbelief. "You're blaming this on _me_?! This has _got_ to be some sort of low-brow joke. I just wanted _you_ on my team. I was more than happy to make accommodations for a nobody like _her_ , but she was just so unappreciative. If she knew her place in life, this wouldn't have been a problem. She has no one to blame, but herself."

"Urggh!" Ruby just barely managed not to scream in frustration. The result was an intense groan the likes of which would have startled a Beowolf, "I never wanted to be on your lousy team! I'm not like the Grim Reaper or the Warrior in the Woods! My eyes don't do anything! I've never turned Grimm into stone and I'm not special! I'm just a normal girl who wants to be a Huntress! Yang is the most important person in my life! She isn't some nobody!"

There was an excruciating silence as Ruby bore down on this snobby girl who had been her main antagonist for the last hour. Something in Weiss's expression changed from disgust to confusion and then some final emotion Ruby couldn't identify.

"Look... I…can tell… you… care… about your sister," Weiss started slowly, taking extra care not to look at Ruby's face. Instead, Weiss' eyes seemed to roll around her head as if she were physically looking for the proper words to articulate her feelings, "And I can understand that…. But… what was her name? Yang? Yeah. I truly do not believe _she_ cares about _you_."

Why? Why did everyone feel the need to have an opinion about her relationship with her sister? First Jaune and now this girl. What did they know about Yang? What did they know about _anything_? All those nights when Ruby laid sick in bed, it was Yang who read her stories and Yang who made her soup. Summer Rose had been her mom, but Yang was her only, beloved sister.

Ruby couldn't suppress her screaming this time, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Trust me when I say I'm kind of an expert at this sort of thing," The pretentious girl rolled her eyes, while pulling herself to her feet, "But it's your life. You don't need to believe me, and I honestly don't care. I'm just here to be a Huntress."

Ruby said nothing, glaring resolutely at the first person she could ever definitively say she hated.

Weiss took no notice of her disdain, dusting herself off and looking remarkably well put together after the fight she'd just had. "If you change your mind tomorrow morning, let me know. I'll figure out a plan to make this work."

Ruby bristled with rage. Weiss Schnee was the last person on Remnant she would ever want fighting by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Twiins iink, EruptionFang, and Vexed Viewer for the amount of time and analysis they put into their videos. They've given me a lot of insight into how I want to paint these characters and I recommend checking out their content if you haven't already done so. They are in no way associated with this story otherwise. I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. Thank you for any feedback you can provide.


	2. Initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake prepares for initiation but gets more than she bargained for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume I: Chapter 2

_A table snaps in two. A lamp shatters against the wall._

_"You're both cowards! The White Fang needs you! Our people need you and you're just going to let them suffer!"_

_Her mother cries into her hands. Her father looks down, solemn and angry._

_The scene changes. The colors fade to black._

_"They need to die, Blake. It's them. Or us. Make your choice!" Bullets fly around her head. She hears the desperate wail of a dying comrade._

_"Menagerie is a cage, and I refuse to live like an animal."_

_Blood pools around her boots. Clear blue eyes stare back at her. Lifeless and still._

* * *

Blake Belladonna woke up with a start. Her forehead and neck were sticky with sweat, a scream still caught in her throat. The room around her was foreign and in the brief space between nightmare and waking, she didn't know where she was.

As her eyes focused in the darkness, the shape of her sleeping classmates became clear. She was in Beacon: The greatest combat school in all of Remnant, and the safest place in the world. No one would know who she was. No one would know she was a Faunus.

Her cat ears wriggled slightly beneath the fabric of her bow. It felt strange to hide this part of her body. Her mom used to say they looked just like Grandma's. A family trait. But now she didn't dare take off the ribbon. Not even while she slept.

As quietly as she could, Blake snuck her way out of the Ballroom.

The school was quiet in the early hours of the morning. Everyone was probably asleep, lost in some pleasant dream Blake had no part of.

In a quiet and faintly lit bathroom, Blake let out a sigh of relief. She was alone, blissfully and wonderfully alone.

For the first time since she'd arrived in Vale, Blake took a long hard look at her reflection. The girl staring back at her looked like a stranger. There was no sign of a warrior or even a fighter. She looked like a terrified child, pining for the comforting arms of her mother.

Blake turned away.

Finding a path to the courtyard was something of a struggle. The hallways seemed to twist and turn in an incomprehensible manner. The only source of light was the faint glow of the rising sun. Luckily for her, she didn't need much to see. Cat Faunus in particular had exceptional night vision.

Outside the school, she was surprised to find the grounds had already been repaired. A brawl the day before had torn giant holes into the earth, but there were no signs of that fight now. Every blade of grass was immaculately manicured, swaying softly in the morning breeze.

She continued to wander, moving to the stone monument erected in the center of the courtyard. It depicted a Huntsman and a Huntress standing on a small cliff overlooking a Beowolf. Simple and effective. The students were here for one goal and one goal only: to fight monsters.

Neither of the warriors were a Faunus.

Her ears twitched as light footsteps came up behind her. Blake's body moved reflexively, spinning around to hide behind the statue.

But the man in front of her was not the man she'd expected. In fact, she didn't know this stranger at all, but she didn't dare let her guard down. Some Faunus could easily pass themselves off as human. Blake was proof of that.

The stranger seemed tired, his pink eyes made more prominent by the heavy bags beneath them. When he spoke, his voice was deep but listless, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Blake didn't want to move back into the light, but she knew how she must have looked to him. Suspicious. Strange. Nervy. If he wasn't a Faunus, then she wanted to be as unmemorable as possible.

With just the smallest amount of hesitation, she reemerged from behind the statue, "It's okay. I just didn't expect anyone to be awake this early in the morning."

"I have a hard time sleeping," He replied off-handedly. As he walked past her, she resisted the urge to flinch, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Without a second glance, he sat down at the base of the statue, crossing his legs into a meditative position.

The air around him seemed to still, almost as if time itself had stopped. In that same moment, the storm inside her began to quiet, morphing from a crashing wave into a gentle ripple.

Peace. Sweet, delicious calm. Blake could no longer remember the last time she'd felt even the barest taste of tranquility, but now it overwhelmed her. Death seemed bearable, pleasant even if it meant never going back into the cacophony of her emotions.

Blake crumpled into a heap a few inches away from the strange man. Neither of them said a word. She closed her eyes and dreamed, not of her fears or the countless number of crimes she had committed but of nothing. It was just pure unabated nothingness.

When she opened her eyes again, the stranger was staring at her, perplexed. He didn't speak, as if waiting for her to answer a question he hadn't asked.

Much to her surprise, Blake found she had questions of her own, "What did you do to me?"

"My Semblance calms emotions," he replied simply. The man didn't supply any further information, much to Blake's chagrin.

"Why…why did you use it on me?"

"It wasn't intentional." His eyebrows knitted together as he considered her question, "There's a small effect radius around me when I meditate."

That brittle façade of calm was still lingering over Blake's mind, but she could already feel it fading away. Soon, everything would be back to normal. Back into the tempest.

Without another word, Blake jumped to her feet, and ran back the way she'd come. She didn't turn around nor did she hear the sound of his footsteps chasing after her and a mix of new emotions joined the old storm.

As she crossed the threshold into the school, Blake slowed to a walk. All around her were the signs of a campus coming awake. There were teachers and staff moving through the hallways and students getting a head start on breakfast.

Blake made her way back to the Ballroom. She found her path was a little easier this time. Hallways were beginning to look more memorable. Distinct paintings jumped out at her along the wall.

In the Ballroom, a few of the students were already awake and packing up their things. She recognized some of the more notable First-Year students from among crowd: Ruby Rose, the silver-eyed girl, Pyrrha Nikos, the "pride of Mistral", and of course, there was Weiss Schnee.

If there was one person Blake wanted to avoid at all costs, it was a daughter of the Schnee Dust Corporation.

Moving quickly through the room, Blake went back to her bedroll to pack up her things. There wasn't much: A few books she'd brought from her old life, and a spare change of clothes.

Blake hastily moved down to the cafeteria to find it halfway full. There was only one empty corner seat but it was dangerously close to a Faunus eating alone. Blake swallowed her fear and took the seat. The girl didn't notice her, her attention focused on a textbook open beside her cereal. Long, brown rabbit ears protruded from the top of her head. Impossible to hide without cutting them off completely.

Blake had seen people like that on the Menagerie. Elderly Faunus who had been so terrified of discrimination they had chosen to remove the part of themselves that had made them different.

"Look what we have here, Dove."

Blake was ripped away from her thoughts as a pair of students walked up behind the Faunus girl, cutting off their tables from the rest of the room. The first of two, a boy with medium-length blue hair sat down beside the girl with his back to the table. "Are you lost, little bunny?"

"She definitely looks lost," The second boy, presumably Dove, shrugged while shaking his head, "What do you think she's doing here, Sky?"

"Probably stealing our secrets for the White Fang," Sky suggested. He smiled mirthlessly, roughly petting the top of the girl's hair.

She jumped, her head swiveling back and forth between her two antagonisers, "I'm not a part of—"

"Shh…Shh… Don't worry too much little bunny. I just want to tell you a story. It's about a family in Sumire. They were a nice, normal family. Owned a small clothing store. Dresses and men's shirts. Things like that. One day, a Faunus came into the shop and made a complaint about a pair of pants that wouldn't accommodate his tail. The owners refused to make any adjustments and the Faunus left. Do you know what happened the next day?"

The girl didn't say a word, trembling as her gaze pivoted between the two men in fear.

"The White Fang burned the whole thing to the ground," He finished seamlessly, "It was very thorough too. Not a single thread was left."

"That's illegal—"

"You're always the victims, aren't you?" Sky whispered mockingly, "The world is just out to get you, right?! That's why everyone should feel bad and help the little animals who have it so rough."

"You're the Faunus who got accepted because of the Equality Initiative, aren't you?" Dove postulated.

'I'—"

"You stole someone else's spot. Someone stronger and more qualified. Someone human." Sky's expression hardened.

Before anyone had a chance to react, his hand grabbed one of the girl's ears, pulling her backward. She fell back onto on the floor with a crash, knocking over both her bowl of cereal and her textbook. "Gahh!"

Sky started to chuckle, pressing his knee to the girl's chest to hold her in place. The back of his hand seemed to crackle as it connected loudly with the girl's cheek. Again and again, he slapped her face until it was red, "Cry! Beg me to stop. Just like my mom begged you filthy animals to leave her alone!"

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" The girl was crying, trying desperately to defend herself from her abusers, but Dove had grabbed both her arms and pinned her to the floor.

Other students turned to watch the commotion, but no one moved. No one tried to help her. No one wanted to.

Every muscle in Blake's body urged her to do something.

**_Wasn't this what you spent your whole life fighting against?! Why are you just watching like everyone else? Help her!_ **

**_But what if someone recognizes me? What if she recognizes me?_ **

**_Who care?! Was all that protesting just for show? When there's actual racism right in front of you, you choose to do nothing?!_ **

**_No!_ **

**_Then help her! Do it!_ **

Blake's fear held her in place. She didn't want to make a scene. She couldn't be seen defending a Faunus. It was too suspicious, and what if it was all a trap? A test? What if her compassion ousted her for what she truly was?

As Blake struggled with her indecision, a blonde girl came running up to them, throwing out her fists in front of her protectively. Blake recognized her immediately as the loser of yesterday's unsanctioned fight: Yang Xiao Long.

"Leave her alone!"

Sky stomped onto his victim's stomach as he climbed to his feet, "Get lost, furry."

"I said, leave her alone..." Yang repeated menacingly.

Sky took one step forward, but Dove's arm shot out in front of him, "Don't. Her sister's that silver-eyed freak."

Sky glanced between his victim, and their new arrival, quietly calculating his options. After a tense standoff, Sky finally lifted his weight from the defenseless girl's body, "Take your pet back."

She scrambled to her feet, running to hide behind her savior.

The two thugs cackled, walking slowly toward the exit. As they passed the Faunus, their eyes landed squarely on their target. The message was clear. **_This isn't over._**

As they disappeared, activity in the cafeteria returned to normal. Students resumed chatting or eating as if nothing had happened. The show was over.

"Thank you," The poor girl whimpered.

"I'm sorry I didn't beat their butts," Yang frowned, "I wanted to, but I'm still in pretty bad shape and I have initiation in a few hours. Where's Coco and Fox?"

"They're still asleep." The girl's whole body was still shaking, but her lips stretched into a sad smile, "It's your fault for keeping them out so late."

Yang awkwardly played with her massive mane of hair. "Sorry. Yesterday was really bad. But you can't blame this whole thing on me. You're a second-year Velvet, why do you let them do that to you? Just kick their butts once, and the bullying stops forever."

Velvet sighed, falling back into her seat, "Because sometimes they're not wrong. I understand how that guy feels."

"What do you mean?"

"My family used to live in Argus. They tried to keep us out at first because my mum is a Faunus, but my papa threatened everyone he knew in both Atlas and Mistral before they agreed to let us stay. The people didn't like us, but papa did his best to make it work. Later, when we tried to move to the Menagerie, they wouldn't let my papa in because he's a human and my mum didn't even try to defend him…She just told him that was how the world worked, and that was it."

"But you're not…You've never discriminated against anyone. Why should you take their bullying when you're a good person?" Yang persisted.

Velvet turned just slightly away from her friend, and Blake could see that the Faunus was looking directly at _her._ Velvet's gaze held a quiet intensity. The girl didn't seem angry or spiteful. Despite her tears and swollen cheeks, not once had she tried to attack her abusers,"Because it would only make things worse...Fighting back only leads to more anger and hatred."

Yang sighed, shaking her head in quiet disbelief. The two girls chattered about other things for a few minutes before a third student arrived and they left with their breakfast. Only once did Velvet turn around to look at her, quietly waving before disappearing out of the room with her friends.

Blake didn't wave back. Her arm laid stiffly in her lap. She could only stare after them in shock and confusion.

 _She knew_.

Velvet knew what Blake was. Possibly even _who_ she was, and she had said nothing. Asked her nothing. Accused her of nothing.

_Why?_

Why didn't she ask for help? Why wasn't she angry?

Blake could feel the prickle of tears gathering behind her eyelids and she didn't know why. What was wrong with her?

In a confused daze, the morning slipped by. The other students went to class or met up with friends to ditch the first day. Lunch came and went. Before long, Professor Goodwitch had come to collect her.

When Blake reached the courtyard, she could see all the first-year combat students were assembled on the grass. In front of them, a plane was preparing to take off.

Blake climbed into the large aircraft, her eyes scanning over her classmates. All nineteen of the other students had a possibility of being on her team. Would she be allowed to choose or was it entirely random? More than ever, familiar faces jumped out at her: Weis Schnee, Ruby Rose, the two bullies from earlier, Pyrrha Nikos, and now Yang Xiaolong.

The list of undesirable teammates was getting longer and longer with each passing hour. Blake sighed. Maybe this had been a mistake. She'd come to Beacon for a fresh start, but she hadn't asked for this.

After a short ride, the plane landed outside the kingdom and the students were shuffled out like a herd of sheep. A small girl with short-cropped orange hair bounced passed, her voice booming over the din of the other students. She was by far the most energetic person Blake had ever seen.

"I hope we end up on the same team! Oh wait, no! Even better. We should think up some sort of plan to make sure we're on the same team! Do you think there'll be a test? Can I copy your answers? Or do you think we'll need to fight together? That won't be a problem since I'm me and you're the perfect ninja. What if we bribe the headmaster?"

Much to Blake's surprise, the girl wasn't alone. The unfortunate recipient of her monologue was the man from the courtyard, looking noticeably less disheveled than he had several hours ago.

"Nora?"

"Yes, Ren?"

"I don't think we can bribe the headmaster." He answered simply. There was no mockery in his tone. It was just a statement of fact. The girl giggled, skipping into the crowd beside him.

Blake watched them go, mentally increasing the list of undesirables by two.

Profess Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin stood at the forefront of their group, ushering them to the edge of a forest cliff. The sounds of Grimm could be heard hidden from inside the trees: cries of Beowolves, and Ursai. Tiny black Nevermore flew over their heads, looking almost identical to ravens. Professor Goodwitch shot them down effortlessly.

"Good morning children," The Professor started elegantly. "I hope you all had a good night's rest. You will see in front of you several platforms with the crest of Beacon engraved in the center. Step forward onto the slab. There is one for each student."

The square of stone had every appearance of a trap door or a plate. Blake stepped forward, her body feeling heavy as the apprehension took hold of her limbs. This was it. Her last chance to run away. If she took off now, she doubted anyone would chase after her. She could disappear. Live in the wild as the fugitive she was.

Blake didn't move.

After a few minutes, Professor Ozpin moved forward, smiling politely, "Today, you are all here to be warriors. You have trained and proven yourselves capable to me. Now you must prove yourselves to the people of Remnant. There is a long road in front of you, and this is merely the first step."

He took a long sip from his mug, "Your mission is to find the chess pieces placed in the temple on the northern end of the Emerald Forest and bring one of them back to me on this cliff. Along the way, you will meet the creatures of Grimm. They are mindless, vicious creatures. They will not spare you because you are children. Administration will monitor your performance, but we will not intervene. If you wish to graduate, you must fight, and you must survive. However, you will _not_ need to do this alone. I'm sure you've heard about teams. They will be chosen today."

Blake groaned internally.

"Each person will be paired with the first other person they meet eyes with after they've landed. Every pair will then be matched with another based off your performances inside the forest. For the next four years, your teams will be your family here at Beacon. You will live together, sleep together, and eat together. With all that being said, good luck."

Professor Ozpin stepped aside as Professor Goodwitch took center stage, "If none of you have any further questions, take your positions."

Blake took a defensive stance. No matter what happened now, she would be ready.

"Begin."

The stone slab flung Blake mercilessly into the air. The wind bit at her face. All around her, students were already starting their descent. There was a mix of strategies though most people simply used their auras to tank the damage.

Blake sailed above them, landing among the trees on all fours.

She jumped from branch to branch, never daring to look down at the ground. When a jump seemed too wide, she threw Gambol Shroud like a hook-shot and swung through the trees. Maybe she would get lucky. Maybe Professor Ozpin had just been trying to scare them. Maybe she would be able to choose a suitable partner once she found a chess piece.

Every one of those hopes died instantly. A blood-curdling scream echoed through the trees somewhere far in the distance. Blake's eyes snapped to a familiar shadow running through the forest. Not far from where she was hiding, Yang Xialong was cornered by a pack of four or five Ursai. The blonde was breathing heavily, a small cut on her face. A spark of red radiated over the wounded girl's body as the wound healed and her aura died completely.

**_Go down there! What are you waiting for?!_ **

**_If I go down there, she'll see me! She'll be my partner!_ **

**_So what?!_ **

**_She's a hothead. She's friends with that Faunus. What if she knows who I am?_ **

**_You watched Adam kill those people. You let Sky hurt Velvet. How long will you stand and do nothing?! How long will you run away from your responsibility?! Is this who you really choose to be?!_ **

"Come and get it!" Yang roared, charging at the enemy. She took down one of the bear-like Grimm before another scraped a huge chunk of skin out of her thigh. She flinched back in pain as blood poured down her legs. There would be no escape.

Blake's body moved before her mind could. Gambol Shroud blasted itself into the back of the nearest Ursa. The distance was short. She pulled the weapon back into her hands before immediately launching it at another tree.

She swung down in front of the injured girl. She didn't want to watch someone else die. She couldn't, "Stay behind me."

"Who—It doesn't matter. Look, I don't need your help," Yang tried to get up, but just instantly fell back down with a painful groan.

"I owe you. Just stay where you are," Blake mumbled.

"What—"

Blake didn't wait for her partner to finish her sentence. There were four Ursai left. She couldn't be reckless. They weren't very large, but any type of Grimm in a horde could be dangerous. She reattached the blade of her sickle back to the sheath, turning her weapon over to act like a sword. The important thing wasn't winning. It was keeping Yang alive.

She slashed through the nearest enemy. It was a mindless creature, just like Professor Ozpin described. It was strong but not very fast. Young Grimm. Their bony armor wasn't strong enough to protect them yet. Behind her, Yang was shooting from the ground to keep them from being overwhelmed.

After what seemed like an eternity, the last of the Ursai disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. The bodies of the dead always vanished. That was true for people and Grimm alike.

Blake quickly ran back to Yang's side. The girl was still injured, though she was grinning like a maniac, "You're not bad, but I could've taken 'em."

"I'm sure you could," Blake answered with a small smile of her own, "How's your aura levels? Do you think you'll be able to walk?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute. They wouldn't be so low right now, if I didn't have that stupid fight yesterday," The girl pulled out her scroll to check her stats. It was still pointedly at 0. Completely unfit for combat. "I'm Yang by the way. What's your name?"

"Ariadne Black," Blake lied, "But you can call me Blake."

"Blake, huh?" Yang tasted the name on her tongue, "Makes you sound all dark and mysterious. I kinda like it."

"Uh…Thanks, I guess?" Blake could feel herself wanting to laugh but pegged the desire as a side-effect of her delirium. "Here, let's get you up. We should get going."

With the remainder of Yang's shorts, Blake bandaged up the wound on Yang's thigh before pulling her to her feet. Yang was both taller and heavier than she was, making her a sub-optional assistant but it was the best they could do. The two of them walked slowly, with Yang putting much of her weight on Blake's shoulder.

Despite being injured, Yang put up most of the conversation, cracking jokes and pointing out funny shapes in the clouds. The girl was nothing at all like what Blake had seen during her fight with Weiss or her confrontation with Sky and Dove that morning. She was funny, but mostly just childish and random.

After they had walked some distance, the trees opened up into a large clearing. A half circle of stone encased a natural ruin. A number of small pillars sat in a well-rounded circle and on top of those pillars was their prize: Black and white chess pieces.

"I think we're here…."

Yang let out a low, sharp whistle, "What do you think? Should we each take one?"

Blake's scroll beeped twice, signaling an important message. With her spare arm, she pulled open the screen so that they could both see. It was a message from Professor Goodwitch:

**_You will only need one relic for the two of you._ **

A shiver went down Blake's spine. She had known they were being monitored, but it was still disquieting to see proof of it. If their Headmaster could see and hear every move they made, then why hadn't anyone come out to help Yang? Would they have just let her die even though they could have saved her?

Blake tried to push the unpleasant thought to the back of her mind. Maybe it was cruel to send your students into the lion's den, but isn't that what they signed up for? They had known the risks and they had chosen to join a combat school anyway.

"So…Which one do you want?" Yang asked.

"I don't know," Blake shrugged, "You can choose."

"Hmm…" Yang looked to her immediate left and right where a knight and a rook were sitting respectively, "What about a cute little pony?"

"Sure…" Blake rolled her eyes, but couldn't resist the little smile that had come to her face. She grabbed the white horse, and the two started their trek back to the cliffside.

"So…Blake…" Yang started cheerfully, "What did you mean back there? When you said you owed me?"

Blake was quiet as she considered the truth. Was there any harm in that? How much did she dare say to a stranger? After some heavy deliberation, Blake decided it would be best to settle on half-truths, "I was sitting close to that Faunus girl earlier in the cafeteria. I actually wanted to help but-"

"No. I get it," Yang nodded, serious for the first time since they'd officially met, "It's not your fight. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have helped Velvet if she wasn't my friend. A few people were the same way back at Signal- that's the old combat school I went to- and I used to just ignore it. But I can't do that anymore."

After a momentary hesitation, Blake murmured, "…Right… But that's what I meant. I owed you for doing what I…didn't."

Yang laughed, wincing as she grabbed her ribs, "It was nothing."

Blake wanted to laugh again, "You're not at all like what I expected."

"What do you mean? Do you know me from somewhere?"

"Not exactly. I saw your fight yesterday with Weiss Schnee, and everyone's heard about your sister," Blake explained.

Yang's face darkened. All at once, the good-humor had disappeared into oblivion, "What does my sister have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, I just thought—"

With a surprising amount of force, Yang pushed her away and Blake stumbled to catch herself before she fell to the ground. Her partner's face was livid with unbridled rage, "Did you think you could use me to get to Ruby?! Well, you can't! We're not close and-!"

"I don't want anything to do with your sister," Blake announced truthfully, "Honestly, I just thought you'd be more serious and short-tempered like you were yesterday… and I guess I was half-right."

The anger disappeared at once, and Yang's face immediately twisted from resentment to regret, "I'm sorry. I just...I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Sorry."

"No," Blake offered her shoulder again for Yang to use, "You shouldn't have, but it's okay…."

They walked in silence, strained from the earlier outburst. Blake didn't want to pry. Everyone was entitled to their secrets. She knew that better than anyone…. But at the same time, the problem between Yang and her sister was clearly affecting her performance in battle.

"Listen…You don't need to tell me if you don't want to, but is there something I should know about?"

"What could there possibly be?" Yang tried to be lighthearted, but her voice was noticeably strained.

"You tell me," Blake didn't look at her partner. She didn't want to put too much emphasis into the suggestion.

"It's nothing," Yang declared confidently, but the heavy silence that followed betrayed her, "It's complicated," She added in a quiet whisper. If Blake hadn't been a Faunus, she might have missed it.

After a moment's consideration, she decided it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. Yang's burdens were not her problem. While they could be partners, she didn't want to be friends.

The rest of the hike back was notably lighter. In a show of goodwill, Blake put in a little more effort to support conversation and Yang returned the energy tenfold. After about fifteen minutes, Blake had learned about Yang's hobbies, interests, possible party problems, and they'd reach the base of the wall. The impossibility of the climb hit Blake like a ton of bricks, but Yang seemed even more excited than ever, "So…What's the plan? Think you can throw me up?"

Before Blake had a chance to respond, another petrifying screech echoed through the valley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The opinions described in this chapter are not my personal opinions nor do they reflect how I feel about bullying or protests/racism.


	3. Teams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Ruby are unhappily paired together and our girls get their first taste of real danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume I: Chapter 3

_Mirror, tell me something  
Tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

_Mirror, tell me something  
Tell me who's the loneliest of all?  
Mirror, what's inside of me  
Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?_

The mirrors were everywhere growing up: the hallways, ballet practice, singing practice, violin practice, the dining room. Even her bedroom had three. The girl in the mirror was always close at hand no matter what she was doing.

Her father had made them a necessity. When you were a Schnee, there was never any room for error. Every movement needed to be in sync. Every line of her dress needed to be seamless. Not a hair out of place.

And the mirror was both the stage and the audience.

She could see every step she took, every stroke of her violin, and every swing of her blade. It was played back to her day after day. Night after night. A constant reminder that she needed to be perfect.

Her reflection was pure, pristine, and proper. The girl in the mirror didn’t have her scar. The pale pink line over her left eye wasn’t anything grizzly. It was easily missed with just the barest amount of makeup or a trick with light. If she tilted her head in just the right way, she could see the entirety of her face without a hint of that one mistake.

But maybe that was why she didn’t like staring at her reflection. Weiss had scars. She made mistakes. Her partner was the first exhibit.

In the twenty minutes since they had locked eyes, Weiss considered herself to be the perfect textbook teammate: She planned their course of action, and went through the risks of their mission, but no matter how hard she tried, Ruby Rose didn’t seem to be the least bit interested. She had thrown one tantrum after another, screaming and arguing with every step they took.

“Go away!!!” She yelled. Weiss ignored the demand, matching the small girl step for step. 

Ruby had been Weiss’s first choice as a partner for two main reasons, the first being her age. Since she was two years younger than everyone else, it would only be natural for Weiss to be chosen as the leader between them. When factoring in both maturity and experience, a child would lose on all fronts.

The second reason was her eyes. Silver-eyed warriors were known far and wide as Grimm Slayers. The strongest weapons the world owned against the forces of evil, and Weiss only wanted the best.

“You heard what Ozpin said. The first person you saw when you landed was me, so you’re just going to need to accept me as your new partner,” Weiss called after her. 

“I don’t want to!! I hate you!!” Ruby yelled again.

Weiss stomped her heel into the grass, “What is your problem?! I have been nothing but respectful since the day I met you, and you’ve repaid my patience with nothing but contempt.”

“Stop using big words to make yourself sound smarter!” Ruby huffed.

“Having a robust vocabulary has nothing to with ‘sounding smart’ and everything to do with being an active student. Perhaps you would know that if you tried acting less like a child all the time,” Weiss rebutted, “We are here to do a job, so let’s just act like professionals. You don’t need to like someone to work with them.” 

Ruby grumbled incoherently but didn’t argue.

The pair marched on without saying so much as a word. Their silence was only disrupted by the scratching sound of Ruby dragging her scythe behind her and the occasional cries of Grimm echoing through the trees.

Weiss tried to ignore the grating sound of the metal against the dirt, but it was a constant audio reminder of their predicament.

This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Ruby was the one she had gone to at the first opportunity. So where did everything go wrong?

Weiss had no idea. She never needed to ask for approval from a peer. There just weren't any. She didn’t go to combat school nor did she have anyone else join her for any of her private lessons. There was Winter, but she was the _older_ sister, not a peer. Weiss didn’t ask for her approval. She needed to earn it. Whitley, on the other hand, was her younger brother and his came with the position.

The more she pondered her situation, the more frustrated she became. It didn’t make any logical sense. Her landing strategy had been perfect. She was dressed in her best outfit and she had been perfectly polite. Ruby couldn’t have had any complaints about her combat abilities either. She had won the fight against Yang. It was more than enough to prove she was a capable fighter.

Secretly, Weiss sent a prayer for the Grimm to appear. She had never seen them in the flesh before. During practice, she had fought against her father’s mechanical soldiers and Winter’s summoned copies, but she couldn’t imagine they were all that different from the real thing. Weiss was determined to kill the first one she saw, and then Ruby would be forced to stop her grumbling.

However, her prayers were left woefully unanswered. The sounds of Grimm were already faint but grew further and further away with every step they took.

After what seemed like hours of walking around in circles, Weiss resolutely stomped her foot into the ground, “I have had enough! Do you have any idea where you’re going?!”

“No, but I’d rather walk than sit around doing nothing with you!” Ruby retorted.

“There’s no need to point out how much you dislike me with every opportunity. I’m already very much aware of the fact,” Weiss bit out sarcastically. “Maybe if you would exercise your absolutely giant brain for a moment, we could map out a way to the forest temple. It’s utterly pointless just walking around without some sort of plan.”

“Then what’s your bright idea, princess?!”

“Let’s try leaving a trail behind us when we reach the next fork in the road,” Weiss suggested smugly, “And don’t call me ‘princess’.”

“I’ve already been doing that,” Ruby fumed, ignoring the second half of Weiss’s sentence. The little girl pointed down at her feet where a deep line had been drawn in the dirt, clearly the result of her dragging her weapon through the gravel, “We can follow the line back whenever we want.”

Weiss tried to keep the surprise and embarrassment from showing on her face. How had she missed the trail? The noise had been aggravating her the entire time, and it wasn’t even some innovative plan! _She_ should have been the one to make it from the beginning. 

“Of course. I noticed that. I… just meant we could use the path you’ve marked out to draw up a map on our scrolls… Right. That’s right, and then we can follow the map to the center of the forest where the temple is supposed to be.” 

“Whatever. Let’s just go.” Ruby rolled her eyes, leading the pair back the way they’d come. Now that Weiss was paying attention to the ground, she was surprised to see Ruby had been very thorough. The deep cut in the earth remained unbroken all the way back where they had first locked eyes. She could still see the cliff in the horizon and use that as a landmark for their travels. 

With some direction and their new ‘map’, the pair started off again, the tension between them a little better than before. The conversation was still non-existent, but Ruby’s groaning had thankfully ceased.

Closer inspection of the drawing showed that while they hadn’t walked in a circle, their path had definitely been curved with multiple ineffective loops. After a few adjustments to pathing, the two soon found their way to what appeared to be a clearing. At the center of it were the remains of an altar. The platform was chiseled down to just one wall and the dais. On top of it were a collection of podiums in a half-circle, with only one relic left, sitting at the very end. 

Ruby immediately reached for it, but Weiss quickly slapped her hand away.

Her partner immediately jumped, holding her injured hand close to her chest, “What was that for?!” 

“We can’t be too hasty about this,” Weiss chided, “We should carefully analyze our choices before coming to the correct decision.”

“What correct decision?! There’s nothing else here!” Without waiting for Weiss’s opinion, the younger girl snatched up the final relic and disappeared into a cloud of red rose petals.

“What in the gods’ name-?!” Weiss squeaked.

“Hurry up!!” Ruby called over her shoulder. The girl had reappeared for a few seconds before once again vanishing into a trail of red.

“Stop doing that!!” Weiss demanded.

“I can’t help being fast,” Ruby laughed mockingly.

Weiss immediately gave chase but the gap between them was too large. The gravity and lightning dust in her rapier could only shoot her so far. She hadn’t mastered most of her abilities yet and her current repertoire were no match for a speed Semblance, “Come back here!! You can’t just make snap decisions like that!! Ruby!!” 

“Stop being so bossy!!”

“I’m not bossy!! Don’t say things like that!” Weiss commanded, “You’re not supposed to run off on your own!!”

“Stop treating me like a kid!”

“Stop acting like—” But Weiss never got to finish her sentence. Something hard and large slammed into her in mid-air, throwing her into a nearby tree. She didn’t feel any pain as her aura had taken the brunt of the damage, but before she had a chance to recollect herself, something attacked her again.

Weiss was better prepared this time, summoning a platform to keep her from flying too far. She rolled to her feet as a giant Nevermore appeared out of seemingly nowhere. It bit furiously at her head, and she just narrowly managed to roll out of its.

Weiss tried to run, shooting herself into a small opening in a mesh of over overgrown branches and leaves but the monster was just too large. It struck down the plethora of trees in a single dive and Weiss struggled to defend herself against the falling debris. 

She couldn’t breathe. The air escaped her lungs. This was too much. She had not expected a monster bigger than her mansion on her first day of combat. Its black eyes were staring at her as if waiting for her to run. Almost like it enjoyed the chase. Weiss wanted to scream but she couldn’t find her voice. She couldn’t move.

The Nevermore shrieked. It was a monstrous sound and Weiss felt her eardrums pop. It was going to eat her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She closed her eyes and prepared herself to die.

But the end never came.

There was a flash of metal as Ruby’s scythe swung in a wide arc against the Nevermore’s head. The raven-like Grimm retreated a few inches away in alarm but appeared otherwise unharmed. Ruby flipped to the ground, pulling Weiss to her feet and carrying her through the forest, “What are you doing?!”

“I---” Weiss didn’t know what to say. Her mind searched for a response, an excuse. Anything at all to explain why she had not tried to defend herself, “It was just a fluke. I was---just dazed from its first attack.”

“Do you want to die?!” Ruby screamed. She showed no signs of having heard Weiss at all. The girl’s eyes were flashing and glowing sporadically, shooting out faint sparks of bright light as if she were sending out a distress signal, “Why are you at Beacon if you can’t protect yourself?!”

“I can!!” Weiss yelled back so she could be heard over the roaring wind, “I just made a mistake! It won’t happen again!!”

“I’m not letting you die! I won’t let anyone die!!” Ruby was still yelling maniacally but it was becoming increasingly clear she wasn’t talking to Weiss. She never turned back to look at her. Instead, Ruby was pointedly screaming at the path in front of her, as if she could see something hidden in the air.

Weiss struggled to understand what was happening but didn’t argue. Ruby’s problems were not her problems.

The two were practically flying through the grove now. With Ruby carrying her and Weiss using her glyphs to propel them even faster, they soon escaped the maze back to the start of their journey.

As the cliffside came into view, a very familiar figure appeared at the bottom of the bluff. Ruby’s older sister was standing at the base of a rock. She was clearly injured, leaning a majority of her weight on another girl’s shoulder.

Ruby moved even faster, nearly crashing into her destination, “Yang!!”

The opposite pair awkwardly swiveled to look at them, and Weiss could see Yang was worse off than she'd first expected. The outer side of her left thigh was bloodied and bandaged. Numerous wounds covered her body and face. It was clear her aura shield had been completely depleted.

“What happened?! You’re hurt!! Let me help you!!” Ruby blurted in her haste. All of the strangeness from earlier had evaporated. 

Yang’s violet eyes bore into Weiss and the latter resisted the urge to look away. The former’s expression was not in the least bit welcoming, “I’m fine. Nothing happened. Injuries are normal when you're fighting the Grimm. The better question is what are you doing with the—”

Before Yang had a chance to finish her sentence, the Nevermore smashed through the forefront of the trees with a bang, flying towards the group faster than Weiss could have imagined.

“Go!! Go!!” Ruby yelled. She dropped Weiss on the ground and wound her shoulder under her sister’s arm in an effort to help carry her forward. They made it halfway up the stone bridge before the Nevermore came crashing through the path in front of them. 

The floor fell away beneath them as all four women came crashing to the ground. The giant Grimm was circling around as it prepared itself to attack once more. Weiss pulled herself into a defensive stance. She wouldn’t freeze up again. She had to make up for her failure in the forest. Even if it killed her.

“Pyrrha!! Now!!”

From out of nowhere, a spinning shield clipped the Nevermore in the eye. The Grimm screeched in pain, flailing as it tried to regain its momentum.

Pyrrha Nikos was running up to them as the shield soared back into its owner’s hands. Three other students were following behind her. Weiss recognized none of them, but a tall, scraggly male had hurried up to Ruby with jubilation.

“Ruby!! Are you okay?!” He asked quickly.

“Jaune!! Oh, thank the gods you’re here. We’re being attacked!”

“Don’t worry.” He answered, “This is my partner, Pyrrha.”

“Hello!!” She greeted over his shoulder.

“We fought the Nevermore for a little while in the forest. I have a plan to take it down but it’s kind of dangerous,” He added. 

“We can help,” Ruby and Yang responded at the same time. Weiss tried hard not to roll her eyes. It was questionable whether or not Yang could walk on her own, let alone help.

But Jaune didn't contradict them. He took a quick note of everyone in the group before modifying his plans on the spot. His companions moved according to his suggestions without any hesitation, and despite her better judgement, Weiss did the same. She didn’t know him or what he was made of, but she did know Pyrrha Nikos.

And if the _Invincible Girl_ , trusted this Jaune person, then so would she.

As the Nevermore shook off the remainder of Pyrrha’s attack, the seven of them shifted into formation fairly close together. Despite her vehement protests, Yang was in no condition to fight and she was left beside a boulder to wait out the battle.

As the bird flew overhead, Jaune put his plan into motion.

“Ren!! Pyrrha! Now!!”

Pyrrha crouched into a low squat before launching the man in green high into the air. After several superb acrobatic spins, he landed on the Nevermore’s talons. With an unbelievable amount of stealth and speed, he climbed his way up to the head of the giant beast seemingly undetected, using his weapons as pitons to secure his position.

“Blake!!” Yang called next.

Her partner jumped up the wall with ease before shooting her weapon forward as it spiraled to the head of the Grimm. The beast didn’t try to dodge, and Ren caught the grip of her gun with ease. Blake was still holding tight onto the other end, and the incredibly long ribbon was now acting as a leash on the giant Nevermore.

Blake pulled the ribbon to the right, running off the edge of the platform and pulling the Grimm along with her. The giant monster jolted in response, caught by surprise and diving head-first into the side of the cliff.

“Weiss!!”

The revolver on Myrtenaster started to spin as Weiss summoned the elemental dust inside her weapon. The wall around the Grimm glowed blue as ice encased its body. The deterrent wasn’t very strong, but that didn’t matter. It just needed to hold the monster for a few seconds while the others did their part.

A rush of exhilaration shot through her body. She hadn’t frozen up. She was fighting Grimm. The creature was far away and there was a crowd of people helping the process, but it was working. She was doing it.

“Nora!! Ruby!!” The final member of Jaune’s team was squatting low to the ground while Ruby spun into a crouch on the face of her hammer. It was the most ridiculous thing Weiss had ever seen and if it weren’t for the deadly scenario they were in, she might have laughed.

Nora spun her hammer forward and Ruby shot through the air like a bullet. Weiss prepared herself for the last part of their plan. The final maneuver would require all of her remaining aura to pull off and even that might not be enough.

Weiss spun into place as nearly two dozen more glyphs appeared on the cliff face. Gravity dust held Ruby in place as she curled her scythe against the neck of the Grimm.

Ruby started to run, dragging the huge Nevermore behind her as she shot up the side of the rock. With every step she took, Ruby’s scythe discharged a bullet, sending her faster and faster up the cliff until she reached the ledge at the top.

The Grimm no longer had any chance of escape. There was nowhere to go as its neck lodged against the stone. Bone and flesh gave way to steel as Ruby forced her blade through earth and Nevermore, decapitating the beast with one final swing.

Ruby leapt onto the edge of the cliff, rose petals scattering in the wind behind her. As the body of the giant Grimm fell back to the earth, it started to disintegrate in the air before disappearing completely into ash.

About an hour later, all the students had been gathered back onto the plane and they were headed back to Beacon. The students were notably much chattier this time, many having formed new bonds and made new friends in the forest.

Weiss did a quick headcount of the crowd to find the eight of them had been the last of the students to return. The revelation left a sour taste in her mouth. How had the others made it back so quickly? She wanted-no, needed to know their secrets.

Weiss glanced over to her partner who was now talking animatedly to Jaune. The two seemed close and more than excited about the insane plan they had somehow managed to pull off. The two of them looked right somehow. As if _they_ belonged together instead.

The anxiety started to rise in her throat. Everything had been wrong. From the moment they locked eyes, Ruby had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with her. They had no chemistry together. Their fighting styles were nowhere near complimentary and if she were being honest with herself, Ruby was not the Huntress Weiss had originally imagined.

As her mind replayed the morning’s events, she became more and more dissatisfied with the result. In the last two hours, they had died almost a half-dozen times but not once did Ruby use her eyes to save them. They had glowed momentarily, but the Grimm had not frozen. Her eyes had effectively done nothing.

Was it all a lie then? Just a rumor? There were records of what a silver-eyed warrior could do, but was that true for all of them? There was no guarantee. The bloodline was rare, and they tended to die early making it hard to document their full abilities. Was it possible Ruby was just a young, subpar student living off the benefits of nepotism?

Weiss couldn’t accept it. She had been tricked. Manipulated. And this sham of a partnership was the result. Nothing Ruby did in the forest had been particularly exceptional. Her plan with the trail had been clever but nowhere near impressive. Her scythe was powerful, but her fighting ability didn’t match Pyrrha’s or even Yang’s.

No. This wasn't going to work. Ruby couldn't be her partner.

Weiss's attention unconsciously shifted over to Pyrrha Nikos, who was sitting quietly watching over Jaune and Ruby's conversation. The girl was a legend. Top of her class at Sanctum, four-time champion of the Mistral regional tournament, and the first-person Weiss would have chosen had she known how horrible Ruby was going to be.

After a brief conversation with her, Weiss learned Pyrrha had been partnered with Jaune Arc, an inexperienced and cowardly fighter from the looks of it. Despite sending out the orders, he hadn’t participated in his own plans. It was a complete waste of the woman's potential. 

She couldn’t let this arrangement stand. It was a travesty. It just wasn’t right.

When the plane landed back at Beacon, the group was once again ushered into the auditorium. Students from the other years and programs had come to see the end of the combat initiation ceremony.

Professor Goodwitch gathered the twenty initiates into a corner while Professor Ozpin made his way onto the stage. Weiss ignored the proceedings, pushing out a path to her Professor’s side, “Excuse me, Professor Goodwitch?”

“Yes Ms. Schnee?” The woman responded, adjusting her glasses. The Professor kept her eyes focused on the stage.

“I don’t mean to disturb you, but have you had a chance to look at our combat footage from the Emerald Forest?”

“I have,” the Professor responded shortly, “The ingenuity of your group was quite impressive, though I must admit I had my doubts at first.”

“Thank you?” Weiss tried. It seemed like a backhanded sort of compliment and Weiss wasn’t sure what the Professor was trying to imply. Perhaps she also felt that Ruby and Jaune’s ‘methods’ had been lacking. Weiss put a pin in the thought for the moment and continued, “I was wondering if you had any comments about my performance.”

For the first time, Professor Goodwitch turned to carefully observe Weiss’s face. The full brunt of her professor’s gaze held more strength than Weiss anticipated, and she could not help but slightly shrink under the older woman’s scrutiny.

“What is it exactly that you want, Ms. Schnee?”

Weiss had not expected to get to the point so soon. She had wanted a few more minutes to butter up the Professor before easing her into the suggestion of switching out her partner for Pyrrha. But now that the good woman had brought them to the matter at hand, Weiss didn’t dare to let the opportunity pass. 

“If you analyze the footage from earlier, I believe you will see that there’s been a mistake. Based on our respective skill levels, my partner should have been Pyrrha,” Weiss explained.

Professor Goodwitch said nothing, staring in acute silence. This time, Weiss held her ground, squaring her shoulders back so she could reach her full height of 5”3. Including her platformed boots.

After a few seconds, the Professor’s expression seemed to change, and her interest melted away as she returned her focus back to the Headmaster on the stage, “Professor Ozpin’s methods may be flawed, and I certainly have my problems with them, but I have never known them to disappoint him.”

Her tone was plainly dismissive, and Weiss couldn’t help but feel as if she’d failed some unapparent test.

And she could not be allowed to fail, “But surely it’s not impossible. People make mistakes. No matter how powerful he may be, he –”

“Ms. Schnee,” Professor Goodwitch cut in, “I admire your drive and your confidence, but you are merely a student, and if I were to be quite frank, not even a very good one.”

Weiss took one step back in outraged shock, “Excuse me?!!”

“There is more to learning than just studying and practice,” She continued as if Weiss hadn’t interrupted at all, “You will learn that with time, but I suggest you pay attention to the upcoming speech.”

Weiss wanted to continuing arguing for her cause, but it was clear the discussion was over. Professor Goodwitch had moved on and Weiss knew better than to argue with an authority figure. Begrudgingly, she pivoted her attention back to the stage where Professor Ozpin was nearing the end of his closing remarks.

“…welcome our new class of Huntsman and Huntresses. I’m pleased to announce that all twenty of our new initiates have returned, more or less unharmed. The pairs have been made and their teams decided. Please step onto the stage as I say your name.”

Professor Goodwitch lined them all up with their partners and Weiss moved into place behind Ruby. All twenty students were then called onto the stage one by one in groups of four. Each group was given their team names and issued a leader. As Weiss counted out her own group, her face fell.

“Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Ariadne Black, and Yang Xiaolong. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose.”

Weiss couldn’t believe her ears. Not only was she now stuck with Ruby, but she was also stuck with her insane sister. Her next four years would be spent with them. Her grades and her performance would all rely on _them_. It was almost enough to make her want to run back to Atlas. Almost.

On her far left, Yang was swearing up a storm and yelling at anyone who would listen, which was mostly just Ruby who looked as uncomfortable as Weiss felt. The final member of their team, didn’t seem to have much to say, keeping her head down as she followed behind the pack; her eyes were slightly glazed over, her face pale.

Weiss walked off the stage in a daze while shaking her head. This could not be her team. It had to be a mistake.

High above her, the prompter showed a picture of her new team: Team RWBY. The scar was just visible over her left eye. 


	4. Pyrrha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha gets to know her new teammates. This chapter is not relevant to the main story and can be skipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume I: Chapter 3.5

_For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee._

Pyrrha awoke to an unfamiliar room. The white plaster immediately tipped her off to her new surroundings. The walls and ceiling of her own room back in Argus were green and red. It wasn’t anything special, but she had painted it herself.

Directly to her left, Jaune Arc was still asleep, mumbling quietly about a tiara.

In the silence of the early morning, Jaune seemed even more bland than the day before. He’d been her partner in the forest. The first person she locked eyes with, but he was also the partner she had chosen.

There wasn’t any particular reason for it. Perhaps it was because of his oblivious nature, but more likely than not, it was because his landing strategy had been non-existent. Watching him fall obliviously through the air had been… comical.

She hadn’t expected much out of her spur of the moment decision to help him. People tended to react in one of two ways when she interfered with their plans: either undue worship or utter contempt but Jaune had been neither. He had seemed almost entirely confused when her spear wound up pinning him to a tree.

His reaction was her first surprise, and every moment with him afterward was no different. Again and again he did things no one else had ever done. He asked for her name, he tried to protect her from small Grimm, and he led her into battle.

Despite being a horrid fighter, Jaune had done his utmost to keep her out of danger.

Truthfully, Jaune was not the sort of man her mother would have respected. He wasn’t very refined or glamorous nor was he exceptionally fast or strong. In fact, during their fights, _he_ was the one in need of protection.

It was baffling. It was insanity and yet. She could feel her heart racing as exhilaration shot through her body. Even now, after the fight was long over, she wanted to run and scream. The surge in energy demanded her to move.

Pyrrha rolled to her feet in answer to the call. Directly to her right, were the beds for her other teammates. These two had been chosen for her and though she didn’t have any strong feelings for them, she didn’t have any complaints either. 

On the far end of the room was a girl named Nora. Upon their first meeting, the girl had flown head-first into Jaune’s chest before rolling into the arms of a growling Beowolf. She had been laughing the entire time, occasionally shouting random action noises like ‘Kablam’.

At the moment, the orange-haired monster was snoring peacefully as she slept in a haphazard manner. Her right foot was a sticking up into the wall while her left hung off the bed. A small amount of drool congealed on her cheek.

The final member of their team was a man named Lie Ren. An all-around quiet person, though he seemed more than familiar with Nora. His bed was empty and already made though Pyrrha hadn’t heard him get up which was strange. It was rare for someone to sneak past her.

Pyrrha put the thought aside, and quickly made her way through her usual morning routine. It was only 5:30, but her body was accustomed to waking up earlier than everyone else. An old habit from her days back at Sanctum.

After about an hour, she looked and felt refreshed, having changed into her new uniform. It looked simpler than she had expected but something about the image felt right. She finished her ensemble by replacing the golden circlet on her head to keep her heavy ponytail upright. As she returned to the room, she found that Ren was also returning from wherever he had been.

“Good morning,” Pyrrha greeted him politely.

“Good morning,” He answered in much the same manner.

He didn’t follow up with any other topic of conversation, moving straight to his and Nora’s bags to unpack.

Pyrrha moved to her own bed to do the same. There was no reason to force herself onto others. Back at Sanctum, she had tried to make friends, but her relationships never quite felt real. Something about their wooden smiles and stilted conversation always held a touch of obligation and she never wanted to pressure someone into something they didn’t want.

It was part of the reason she had chosen Beacon.

There had been a small shred of hope that maybe life would be different outside of Mistral. She didn’t quite want to be a normal girl. That was a little too cliché. But she wouldn’t have minded if the titles were a little lighter to carry. 

Perhaps a life where she wasn’t the _Champion of Argus_.

Pyrrha condemned the thought immediately. It was wrong. It was so ungrateful. She loved her city and everyone in it. They were all so kind and respectful. They saw so much potential and greatness in her. Possibly even more than she herself saw. The problem didn’t lay with them. It laid with her. 

**_I’m a horrible person._ **

A soft sigh unwillingly escaped her lips.

She knew this was the price of her gifts. Her mother had told her so. If she wanted to be strong, if she wanted to be the best, then she needed to shine above everyone else. She needed to be stronger, faster, and smarter. They could never be allowed to reach her. It was a lonely life, and it was also the life she’d chosen.

And yet, she was always looking back. Why? Why was she always asking for more? Perhaps there wasn’t any great excuse. Perhaps she _was_ just a horrible person.

Reality snapped back into focus as she felt a light tap on her shoulder, almost like the touch of a feather.

Lie Ren stood behind her, as formal as ever with his head slightly bowed. Behind him, Pyrrha could see the other half of the room was neatly organized and cleaned.

“I don’t mean to disturb you, but I thought I could tell you some things about Nora and I. I believe our living conditions will be much more comfortable if we knew a few things about one another.”

“O- okay…” Pyrrha responded uncertainly. This was a new experience for her. In the past, her teammates had merely assumed she would be perfectly in sync with their needs and she had put in the effort to meet their expectations.

“Nora and I like to shower in the evenings,” He began.

The room was quiet as Pyrrha waited for him to add more, but Ren said nothing, staring at her patiently. It wasn’t until after several minutes of silence, that she realized he was waiting for her to respond.

“Oh!! Um, I like to shower in the morning.” She supplied.

Ren nodded, clearly pleased with her answer despite his incredibly blank expression, “Nora frequently has nightmares and she talks a lot in her sleep. My semblance can neutralize it to a certain degree, but I can’t always catch her before she screams. You might hear me moving to and from my bed early in the mornings or late at night.”

“That won’t be a problem. I’m a light sleeper but I can command my body to fall asleep almost instantly,” Pyrrha answered much quicker this time. It was almost exciting, like a test of her reflexes.

“Nora isn’t operational without a minimum of three meals a day. A minimum of 2000 calories is necessary at every meal,” Ren’s face showed the faintest drop of exhaustion, his first display of any emotion at all and Pyrrha couldn’t help but crack a bright smile.

“I’m sorry…What?”

“Nora can be very…” Ren hesitated, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Demanding?” Pyrrha offered helpfully.

“Draining,” Ren returned with a real smile. It was surprisingly infectious, “She can be very draining when she’s hungry...”

Pyrrha giggled into her hand. It was her first time having any sort of real conversation not related to schoolwork or fighting and she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. Her mind immediately flashed back to their return trip from the Emerald Forest. She had watched Jaune talking to Ruby Rose.

She had envied them back then. They had made it look so fun and easy. But here she was, doing the exact same thing.

Pyrrha continued to question Ren about his partner and he answered every question without pause. He seemed to know everything there was to know about Nora down to the color of her underwear and by the end of his list, Pyrrha did too. Her sides hurt from laughing but Ren seemed more energized than ever which wasn’t saying very much.

“So what about you?”

“You won’t need to worry about me giving anyone a concussion,” Pyrrha giggled again.

“Is there anything you would like us to know?” He corrected politely.

“Oh. Sorry… Umm…” It was a question Pyrrha had never needed to consider before and she took a few minutes to try and organize her thoughts.

“I… suppose if there was one thing… It’s that I’m not a very good public speaker?” She finished uncertainly, but Ren didn’t seem the least bit worried.

“Nora talks enough for the three of us,” The two of them continued to chat about smaller, more trivial topics with Pyrrha supplying most of the conversation. Somehow, talking to Ren was exceptionally easy. Despite seeming lost in his own world, he caught every word and nuance.

About an hour later, the two of them decided it was time to wake up their partners for their very first day of class. Nora threw some things, and might have broken the legs of her bed, but with some strained effort on Ren and Jaune’s part, the four of them dragged themselves down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Now that everyone had a teams and class schedules were assigned, the place was packed with students taking advantage of the free meal system.

While Beacon’s food didn’t look at all appetizing, it was certainly nutritious: Fruits, eggs, and milk. Not a single piece of toast or pancake was anywhere to be seen. 

In the table adjacent to theirs, Pyrrha could already hear the arguments of the neighboring team.

“All of you are so rude!! None of you have any right to throw out my things!” Weiss Schnee cried. She slammed her fist down onto the table indignantly. 

“You’re one person and your stuff takes up half the room!” Yang Xialong rebutted. She was already on her feet. Despite being in her school uniform, her weapons were clearly equipped to her arm. The top of her bracers nearly went to her elbow.

“If you don’t like it, then leave!! No one wants you on our team anyway!” Weiss retorted.

“Weiss!!” Ruby Rose cut in.

The arguing continued but Pyrrha turned away from the scene, suddenly very thankful for the teammates she’d been given. Jaune had been a blessing, but with every passing minute, she found he had not been the only one.

Nora was inhaling food while simultaneously talking at the same time. Pyrrha didn’t catch a word of her monologue but Ren somehow managed to answer all her questions without much effort. It was both hilarious and alarming.

“We’re not in many classes together,” Their leader remarked suddenly. Jaune was staring down at his schedule and comparing it with the rest of his team.

“It’s because of all the trade students,” Nora stopped in midsentence to redirect her attention to the group as a whole, “I think they split us up to mess with us. They’re testing us!! Let’s show them what we’re made of!! Bwahaha!! I’m sticking by Ren at all times!!”

“I don’t think we have any classes together,” The discreet man replied honestly.

She giggled nervously, “No problem!! These classes are just suggestions, right? I’ll just follow you around! Aren’t all our classes the same, anyway?! They are right?! No one will care if I’m in the wrong period!”

Nora seemed to grower paler and paler with every word, her breath coming in short bursts as if she would pass out at any moment.

“Don’t fret,” Pyrrha patted her awkwardly on the back, “At the very least, you should have at least one of us in all your classes and we have Combat training with Professor Goodwitch at 4PM.”

Surprisingly enough, that seemed to cheer her up and Nora’s breathing slowed back down to her rabbit’s pace as she continued to inhale an elephant’s worth of food.

“Do we get less classes when we enter our second year?” Jaune queried.

“I believe so,” Pyrrha answered, “I’m told that third-year students at Haven have more hands-on practice. Field missions and the like.”

“Oh…” Jaune remarked doubtfully. Something in his expression clouded over and Pyrrha tried her best to study him without him noticing. While she had enjoyed their time together in the Emerald Forest, she _had_ found it strange how bad of a fighter he was. His strikes weren’t well-coordinated, and he rarely used his shield, even when the situation called for it.

The entrance exam to Beacon was not difficult but it also wasn’t easy. After passing a written test, students were paired off with an alumni for a one-on-one match as a combat audit. Disregarding her own personal feelings for Jaune, Pyrrha couldn’t imagine that he had performed well against his appraiser.

As she contemplated asking him about it, Jaune abruptly stood up with his things, “We’re running a little late. Let’s get to class and meet back here for lunch?” 

The other two nodded while packing up their things. Pyrrha shoved her questions back into the recesses of her mind. It wasn’t important. Jaune was here now, and he was their leader. Nothing else mattered.

The four of them said their goodbyes and Pyrrha followed Nora to History while Jaune and Ren walked off to Weapon Crafting and Upkeep.

A thin, green-haired man who introduced himself as Dr. Oobleck was whizzing around the room when they arrived, setting up his whiteboard and a number of string displays over his desk. He moved so quickly; it was almost as if he were teleporting from place to place. Pyrrha couldn’t see his legs move at all.

As the students filed in, he turned to address the room.

“Good morning students. I’m sure you’re all very excited for your first day at Beacon. You must all be wondering why a school training you for the world we live in now would require you to learn something like history, but fret not, it will all become abundantly clear as time goes on. Please open your textbooks to page thirteen.”

“We will need to mention some of the undocumented history of Remnant as the documented portion is not very long. There are many myths that people believe to be a part of our history such as the _Tale of the Two Brothers_ and _The Warrior in the Woods_.” As Professor Oobleck mentioned the second title in particular, his gazed seemed to land directly on Ruby Rose. Pyrrha could see the small girl sinking into her seat and their professor moved on.

“However, those are just legends. Today, we will go over the first major event of what we know to be true: The Great War. Before we begin, which one of you young scholars can tell me what exactly started the war?”

Beside Ruby, Weiss Schnee confidently raised her hand, “Approximately 100 years ago, Mistral’s king wanted to conquer as much fertile land as he could. With the help of Mantle technology, he organized an attack on Vale.”

Oobleck apparated in front of their row, staring directly at his student.

“While that is the commonly taught story in both Mantle and Atlas, that is not the truth, Ms. Schnee. The Great War, like most things started in Mantle, now known as the Kingdom of Atlas. After the kingdom had stabilized their trade relations with Mistral, the King of Mantle began trying to find new ways to fix their Grimm problem. The solution he found was to rid its population of the arts and self-expression. The King believed that if his people could no longer expresses themselves, then they would not feel at all. A very unwise strategy, as history has proven.”

Weiss’s cheeks grew red with embarrassment, but the girl didn’t have any rebuttal.

“You are not entirely incorrect, however. At the time, Mistral _was_ the largest of the four kingdoms and its king had conquered almost all the natural resources Anima could provide. The result was a large mass of land which required Mantel’s superior technology to protect it. In exchange, Mistral selectively enforced Mantle’s rules on its common citizens, while those with money, status, or power were free to do as they pleased. It was then, and only then, that Mistral would launch their attack on Vale’s shores. Does anyone know what happened next?”

After Weiss’ blunder, people were hesitant to put up their hand again, but Sky Lark from team CRDL was eager to show off, “Well, after the fighting started on Vale, Mistral and Mantle tried to threaten Vaccuo into joining them, but their threats just pissed Vaccuo off.”

“Very good, Mr. Lark.” Oobleck sipped a mug of what Pyrrha could only assume was coffee.

“After Vaccuo joined the war, battles took place on every continent. Many innocent lives were uprooted and destroyed. The stress and anger among the people of Remnant increased the frequency of Grimm attacks and many lives were lost in the process. Some people thought it would be the end of mankind altogether, but they were wrong. Mankind has always been startingly resistant.”

“Roughly ten years after the war started, Mantel realized the cost of the conflict was running too high to maintain. They no longer had the resources to drag it out indefinitely. As a result, the two kings planned an all-out attack on Vaccuo, the source of Vale’s dust supply. On the day of the attack, the King of Vale himself entered the fray to defend another kingdom.

“He fought and he won. Mantle and Mistral’s forces were completely wiped out. No one knows the true number of casualties that day, but we do know that the kings of both Mantle and Mistral were among them. The war ended that night with Vaccuo’s king bowing to Vale’s.

“With the death of their kings, the other kingdoms fell into chaos. The bloodshed and violence continued until the King of Vale set out with three fellow Huntsman to create a new world order. He created councils for each kingdom and oversaw the construction of the original combat schools: Beacon, Haven, Shade, and Atlas. They brought forth a new era of peace and with it the beginnings for all of you. It is for this very reason that every team of combat students comes in groups of four. It is a reminder that while we are divided, we are not alone. We put our faith in one another. Or all will be lost.”

Pyrrha glanced beside her to where Nora was sleeping peacefully, clearly unaffected by what she had missed in the lecture. Perhaps if it had been someone else, Pyrrha would have been annoyed, but seeing the anxious girl from breakfast look so innocent and relaxed brought an affectionate smile to her face.

As Professor Oobleck’s class ended, Pyrrha shook her teammate awake before the two of them headed off to their next class and the rest of the day passed by in a blur.

Professor Peach who taught Plants and Sciences made a strong impression. She was a sweet, plump little woman whose hair was absolutely covered in vines. The Professor was not a Huntress, but a rather skilled healer who explained the benefits of plants and ointments over relying too heavily on Aura.

Her last class before lunch was Grimm Studies with Professor Port, an egg-shaped man with a ridiculous mustache and rather small eyes. There was little participation and time seemed to slow as her Professor rambled monotonously over the course of an hour. Thankfully, she shared the class with Jaune who drew little sketches and messages over her notes, much to her delight.

Lunch was a quick affair. She traded her notes with Ren and the two made copies for the other half of their team, while Jaune and Nora grabbed all their food for a quick meal.

Her next two classes were shared with Ren, who seemed to excel at Stealth and Security while the two of them struggled through Military Strategy which was once again taught by Professor Port. As their normal classes came to an end, the four of them met up again for Combat Training in the amphitheater.

The students were ordered to pair up for training exercises and Jaune recommended they switch up partners for some variety. He would fight Ren while Pyrrha would face off against Nora. No weapons were allowed. Jaune was defeated right off the bat, but the girls proved to be much more interesting.

While Nora was stronger, Pyrrha was faster. The latter dodged every punch, slid into every opening, and had better control of her aura, deflecting blows with just her hands and pushing the smaller girl into a corner. Raw strength was simply no match for practiced strategy.

In a last-ditch effort at victory Nora threw herself forward into a body slam while Pyrrha rolled out of the way. The ensuing shockwave caused the other students to lose their footing but Pyrrha kept low to the ground. She launched herself off the heel of her boots and grabbed Nora around the waist, suplexing her neck-first into the floor.

The arena cracked beneath them and Nora rolled over onto her belly in defeat, “Yowza. That was crazy.”

“Sorry…” Pyrrha rubbed the back of her neck with some discomfort. Many people took the results of a sparring match very seriously, and she couldn’t imagine how Nora would react.

However, the energetic girl didn’t seem the least bit upset. She hooked her arm around Pyrrha’s neck and laughed, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll kick your butt the moment I get my hammer back!!”

After classes ended, Jaune suggested the four of them go to the courtyard for further practice and they agreed. Ren spent his time meditating while Pyrrha and Nora took turns trying and failing to trick Jaune’s brain into activating his semblance.

There was some hammer bashing, dunking his head into water, and various dust explosions, “That’s how I found my semblance!” Nora squealed.

“You were struck by lightning?” Jaune asked incredulously.

“No! I electrocuted myself with a toaster,” She chortled, “Let’s try setting you on fire!”

The hours passed by in the blink of an eye. It moved so quickly in fact that Pyrrha didn’t even realize her first day at Beacon was coming to an end.

Upon returning to their room after dinner, what they found was the equivalent a disaster zone. In their struggle to get up that morning, their living conditions had been completely trashed. Clothes, books, and personal belonging where strewn everywhere the eye could see.

Ren heaved a deep sigh.

Without any warning, Nora jumped into a pile of her clothes, rolling around on the carpeted floor, “Woohoohoo!”

Jaune and Pyrrha stared at her for a few seconds before they broke out in wild, uncontrolled laughter, falling onto the floor in a fit of giggles. Ren glanced silently between them before rolling up his sleeves to get started on his hopeless plans to clean.

Pyrrha’s ribs hurt from her joy. She had never laughed so hard in her life, but the hysterics were cut short as her scroll started to vibrate in her pocket. The display showed it was her mother. A familiar emptiness grew in her chest until it ate away all the sensation in the rest of her body. She snuck out of the room, unobserved by her friends before partially closing the door behind her.

“Hello?”

“Good evening, Pyrrha. This is your mother.”

She resisted the urge to say, ‘I know’. Instead saying, “Hello Mother.”

Pyrrha could hear the sounds of her mother writing on the other end, clearly in the middle of some important memo, “I’m sure you’re well. Have your classes started?”

Pyrrha wanted to tell her about all the friends she’d made, and all the things she was learning but her mother had asked her a very specific question and there was a very specific answer.

“Yes Mother.”

“You have been assigned a team?”

“Yes Mother.”

“Are they from Mistral or Atlas? What are they like?”

Her mother had asked the same two questions after her first day at Sanctum. Back then, Pyrrha had not known the answer, but had given her mother what she wanted. This time, she was surprised to find she could answer her mother perfectly. After only one day, she felt like she could describe her teammates without any difficulty at all.

Ren was stoic but kind. He cared deeply for his friends and it showed in how much he understood about his partner. Nora was silly and honest. She was painfully direct, and you would never need to wonder how she felt about you. Finally, there was Jaune. Simple, wonderful Jaune. He was like no one she had ever met.

But those were not the things her mother wanted to know, “They are…competent students. I believe two of them are from some of the smaller settlements on Anima, but the third is from Vale. They do not have any sort of background.”

“That won’t do. It’s hard to lead when you don’t have the right people at your command. You should try to do better. Jacques has informed me he has a daughter at Beacon. That will suit you much better though I expect she might be quite head-strong and won’t like being your subordinate. I will try to put in a request with Ozpin to switch you out for new teammates—”

“No!!” The singular word came out like an explosion. It was the first time she had ever rebuted her mother in any capacity, and for a moment both parties were stunned into silence.

“Is something wrong, Pyrrha?” Her mother said when she had recovered.

“No mother,” Pyrrha tried to bring her emotions under control. She couldn’t be the person who just shouted when things didn’t go her way. She needed to do better, “I just—I’m very happy with my team.”

Her mother was silent for a few seconds and the only thing Pyrrha could hear was the buzzing static over the scroll, “Pyrrha. I never want you to settle for mediocrity. Even if you are not the best, you must keep trying. It’s the only way you’ll improve.”

Pyrrha could see her teammates through the crack of the doorway. Nora was still rolling on the floor, guffawing as she disappeared and reappeared into view. Ren ignored the spectacle, picking up loose garments and putting things away while hopping over her in his quest. Jaune turned to catch Pyrrha’s eye through the small slit between the door and the wall. He offered her a small grin, pointing one finger to the mess all around them before noiselessly waving her in to join them.

“I’m just…very happy with my team…” Pyrrha repeated. “There is truly no one else I’d rather have.”


	5. Contrast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students of Beacon have more or less settled into their new school. However, Ruby is having a hard time making her new teammates get along while Blake is learning how to settle down.

Ruby was enjoying her time at Beacon. Every day felt like a whole new world for her to explore. Professor Oobleck knew everything there was to know about Remnant. Professor Port's lectures were dry, but his quirky assignments and random tangents more than made up for it. Even Professor Goodwitch turned out to be nicer than Ruby had first anticipated.

Outside of class, she remained mostly alone save for Jaune and his team. They often invited her to spend time with them over the weekends, playing board games or exploring Vale where Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha worked part-time jobs.

Ruby bonded surprisingly well with his team. None of them mentioned her silver eyes nor did any of them seem uncomfortable with her around. Most days, she couldn't help wishing she had been chosen as part of Jaune's team instead of her own.

Nearly five weeks had passed since their initiation and Ruby had to admit that maybe Ozpin had made some sort of mistake. No matter how hard she tried, there was no chemistry whatsoever inside their dorm.

"Where were you last night?" Weiss demanded, one morning over breakfast.

"Why do you care?" Yang shrugged.

"Because _you_ represent our team and I refuse to let you tarnish our good name with your…sleazy behavior."

"What exactly about my behavior is 'sleazy'," Yang mocked, flipping her hair condescendingly over her shoulder. The imitation of Weiss was actually quite close, and Ruby resisted the urge to laugh. It would have just made the situation worse and directed both their anger onto her.

Weiss's face grew red with frustration as she clenched and unclenched her fists rapidly, "Is this a joke to you? We're here for a job, and a very dangerous one at that but you're not taking this seriously at all!

"Who are you to talk?!" Yang shot back, "Everyone knows how you froze up in front of that Nevermore. If Ruby hadn't been around to save you, that stupid bird would have turned you into dinner."

" _My_ performance has been exemplary compared to yours!" Weiss slammed her hand down onto the table. The blowback sent some of their trays rattling, "At least _I'm_ trying to improve! You don't see me just bouncing around the school like some floosy. Have you tried having some self-respect?!"

Yang got to her feet, pulling up the smaller girl by the collar, "Watch your mouth, princess or I'll teach you something about respect."

Yang pushed Weiss back into her seat before spinning around and walking away.

"Hey! Get back here! We're not done yet!" Weiss commanded, but Yang merely waved her arm behind her and disappeared out of the cafeteria.

Weiss slammed her palm into the table again before turning to her teammates, "Shouldn't you be doing something?! Get her back here! Ariadne? Am I the only one who cares how this looks?"

Ruby didn't reply. She actually _did_ want to do something about it, but what could she possible do? Ruby briefly glanced at Yang's partner who merely shrugged with indifference. Typical behavior for Ariadne Black.

Weiss huffed in discontent at their ambivalence, packing up her things to leave for their first class of the day. Ruby followed her out, leaving a few meters of space between them. Even though the two girls were headed for the same place, they rarely traveled together. Ruby never had anything to say to her partner and she preferred sitting with Nora and Pyrrha during class. At least they were willing to help her understand all the big words Professor Oobleck used.

As their class ended, Ruby felt a tap on her shoulder and Pyrrha's sympathetic face looking down at her, "Is something wrong? You seem quiet today."

"Yeah! You're normally all doodles and jokes," Nora added.

"I'm just… Having a hard time getting my team together," Ruby confessed.

"What's so hard about it?" Nora asked.

"I don't know… It's just not like yours! Everyone on your team likes each other and no one argues about anything. I just want everyone to have fun, but Yang and Weiss won't stop fighting. They just yell at each other all the time and when they're not yelling, it's because Yang isn't around. She disappears almost every day and won't tell us where she's going. Ariadne doesn't say anything. She's not that bad but she doesn't help or try to talk to any of us. She's always reading by herself. It's like she wants nothing to do with us and I don't know what to do!"

Ruby vomited her woes all at once, not even stopping to breathe. The decibels of her voice kept growing higher and higher until she sounded like a mouse that had inhaled the helium trapped inside a balloon.

"Uh-huh…" Pyrrha appeared quite taken aback, but she recovered quickly, shooting meaningful glances at Nora, "I'm sure it's not all that bad. No team is perfect. I mean… we argue about things. Don't. We. Nora?"

"Eh," The shorter girl shrugged, "I mean, you should stop stealing Ren's shampoo, and he keeps throwing out all my coffee. There's also Jaune being Jaune I guess, but we're not as bad as _them_. They're even louder than me!"

Ruby groaned, "Does everyone at school know how bad we are?"

Pyrrha rushed to silence her teammate but it was a wasted effort, "Oh yeah. Everyone definitely knows. Jaune and I started a pool last week on who we think will win their next fistfight. I've got 600 lien on Yang by the way. I know Weiss won the first one, but I like her big boom energy. Big Boom."

Pyrrha hurriedly pushed Nora away, before mouthing the word 'sorry' as they disappeared into their next classes.

Ruby stared after them in hopelessness before heading off herself. The next set of hours passed by in a fog. The whole idea was a joke. Did Ozpin think it would be funny to make her the leader of a team with the most reserved girl in the whole school and the one person she hated? There were nineteen other combat leaders at Beacon and 76 other fighters. How did they make it look so easy and painless?

Ruby was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the people in front of her as she barreled face-first into a handbag before falling flat onto the floor.

Ruby shook the stars from her eyes until reality came back into view. A beautiful upperclassman with short-cropped hair was standing over her with an outstretched hand, "Sorry about that. Didn't see you there. Are you okay?"

"Oh. I'm fine. Thanks," Ruby muttered shyly. Something about this beautiful woman seemed familiar though Ruby couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"Don't worry about it. My fault for hitting you with my bag. You're just…so small. My name's Coco, by the way."

"Ruby…"

"I know," The woman examined her closely with a smirk and a wink, "You're Yang's baby sister. The eyes gave you away."

And all at once, Ruby remembered where she'd seen Coco's face. The woman had been in several pictures on Yang's scroll.

"Are you…Are you Yang's girlfriend?"

Coco appeared shocked at first before breaking out into rambunctious laughter, "Oh dear, sweet Salem, no. I mean, we do…stuff, but we're not serious. It's probably a little too early for you to know about any of that…"

Ruby stared at her with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. She wasn't young at all. She was fifteen. She knew about kissing and people holding hands. She wasn't an idiot, "How do you know, my sister?"

"Oh, we met at a club maybe a year ago. She was the craziest thing on the dance floor by a hot mile," Coco wiped away a single happy tear in between another fit of giggles, "We've been friends ever since."

Not once had Ruby ever heard the name Coco. Yang never mentioned where she was going nor what she was doing, but an entire nightlife of clubbing and girlfriends seemed like a big thing to hide from her family, "Has she been sleeping in your dorm?"

"Once or twice," Coco shrugged, "She comes by to see Fox too but…"

For the first time in their conversation the woman hesitated in her response, her eyes narrowing as some thought occurred to her, "Why are you asking me all of this?"

"No reason," Ruby blurted unconvincingly, "I was just curious. That's all."

But Coco was not buying her lies, "You're her sister, the leader of Team RWBY. Shouldn't you know what Yang is doing?"

Did it matter if she was the leader when no one saw her that way? No one listened to her. No one respected her. And no one bothered to tell her anything. She didn't know a single thing about Weiss or Ariadne and now…

Now Ruby wasn't even sure she knew anything about Yang.

"I'm sorry. I have to go," Ruby spun on her heel and sped away as Coco shouted after her. She didn't go to lunch or the rest of her afternoon classes, her legs carrying her through the empty halls of Beacon as the other students and teachers switched between classes.

Ruby didn't have the energy to join them. She crumpled into a messy heap between two doors and started to cry as quietly as she could, biting into her arms to stop from wailing. The end result was a small, almost inaudible murmur.

She couldn't do this. She just wasn't made to be a leader. Back at Signal, none of her teammates would speak to her, but that didn't matter. At least the team as a whole had been cohesive. The other three girls had worked well together. All she needed to do was stand off to the side. So long as she didn't get in their way, no one cared.

But that wasn't true anymore.

She could no longer just stand by and wait for things to work out. She needed to do something.

"Are you okay?" Ruby snapped out of her thoughts to see the hallways were crowded again with the changing of the classes. Jaune and Nora stood in front of her, the two of them watching her with some concern.

"I…" The words died in her throat. She wasn't okay. She wasn't even close to being okay and she had no way to tell him that. More tears choked away any voice she had.

"Pyrrha talked to me earlier. She said you're having some trouble with your team," Jaune suggested helpfully.

Ruby nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Don't worry about it too much. I don't think you're a bad leader, Ruby. We're just starting out. You'll get better. No one is good at this stuff in the beginning."

"You are!" Ruby's voice cracked with the strain, "Everyone on your team listens to you and respects you. You're a great leader."

"I wouldn't say that…." Nora interjected thoughtfully.

Jaune flicked off his teammate before squatting down so he could look Ruby in the eye, "That's not because of me. I was just given a great team. Even in the Emerald Forest, I didn't do anything special. Everyone was just really nice and worked well together."

"Well my team isn't like that. None of them work well together and Weiss is really mean!" Ruby complained.

"Maybe you could try some team-building exercises," Jaune suggested, "If you can force them to work together, maybe it will help them improve?"

Her head snapped so hard, it banged into the wall behind her, but Ruby was too focused to notice. She hastily brushed off her face as Jaune and Nora helped her to her feet, "You're a genius!"

"I am?" He paused for a minute while he found his bravado again, "Uh, I mean, of course I am."

Ruby nodded, "I have an idea, but I need the two of you to help me."

A couple minutes later, the three of them ran into the arena where Professor Goodwitch was just starting to take volunteers for practice. Ruby immediately raised her hand, "Team RWBY would like to join the match today!"

The rest of her teammates were already seated in the pews. Upon hearing her declaration, Ruby registered a wide mix of emotions among them: Confusion, surprise, and excitement respectively.

Her professor nodded in acknowledgement, "Very well. Do I have another volunteer?"

Jaune raised his hand uncertainly, "Uh… We will?"

"Excellent," The Professor began synchronizing the information of the eight students before sending it to the display behind her, "Leaders. Please prepare your teammates for battle. You have three minutes."

Weiss, Yang and Ariadne jumped down the steps to join Ruby beside the stage while Nora and Jaune moved to the other end to join their own teammates. Weiss was the first to reach her, "What are you doing? We are _not_ prepared for this. We haven't done any research or planning. We—"

"Speak for yourself, princess. I think this is a great idea," Yang interjected, "It's the first _real_ fight I've had since initiation."

"That's because you're crazy and I—"

"Everyone stop talking!" Ruby cut in, "We only have two minutes left. There's no time for your arguments right now. We'll need to work together if we want to win."

"Fine," Weiss whispered fiercely, "What's your plan?"

"We don't need one," Yang argued impatiently, "The three of you can stay in the back. I'll take care of this by myself."

Even Ariadne looked skeptical this time, "You plan to take on all _four_ of them by yourself?"

"I'll be fine," Yang responded off-handedly, "Just shoot from the back and give me some cover."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "You've got to be—"

But the buzzer sounded at that moment, calling the combatants to the stage.

The four of them resigned themselves to Yang's plan and moved into position, with Yang standing in the front, while the other three prepared to offer some projectile cover.

An automatic voice from the prompter counted them down: _Three. Two. One. Begin!_

Before the count was even up, Yang dived into the fray, but Pyrrha was already at the front of the other pack to take the hit. Both Ember Celica and her bullets bounced ineffectively off Akoúo̱'s gold plated face.

Yang struggled to regain her balance as Pyrrha pushed her off and Nora came swooping in, jumping over her teammate to pummel the former into the ground. Yang took the brunt of Nora's hammer to the head before smashing straight down into the floor, cracking the tiles beneath her.

The rest of Team JNPR wasted no time in taking advantage of their opening. Jaune and Pyrrha ran in front, holding up their shields to cover most of their bodies as Team RWBY's attacks bounced harmlessly off their defense.

"What do we do?!" Weiss yelled.

"You go save Yang," Ruby commanded, "Ariadne, go take out Jaune!"

The two girls rushed to obey her orders as glyphs appeared over the floor and in the air. Weiss shot forward, dancing over Jaune and around Nora only to find her path blocked by Ren. The man had appeared out of nowhere, kicking her in the chest.

Weiss flew back, flipping back onto her feet as she called more glyphs to her command. Ice began shooting at the Mistralian from all angles, but Ren moved as if he could see them coming, cutting them down in midair.

Myrtenaster's revolver spun as the glyphs changed from blue to red. Fireballs replaced the ice, chasing down her target as he grabbed Nora, and flipped away. Weiss hurried to pull Yang back to her feet, but the latter only shook off her grip, "I don't need your help!"

"You could stand to show some appreciation," Weiss yelled over the sounds of fighting.

On the other side of the stage, Ariadne was trying to take out Jaune, but Pyrrha stood in her path. Not only was she cutting down Ruby's sniper shots, but no matter how many shadow clones Ariadne created, Pyrrha blasting them away. The latter's movements were fluid, using every part of her body as a weapon and Miló was only an extension.

Ariadne's fighting style wasn't suited to defensive combat and she struggled against the offensive onslaught that Pyrrha sent her way.

"Pyrrha, Sniper!" Jaune screamed.

Miló transformed in the gladiator's hands, becoming long and thin, before she launched it straight past Ariadne who jumped out of the way. It took 2 seconds before Ruby realized what was happening but by then, it was too late. The javelin hit her squarely in the chest, sending her flying as she let go of Crescent Rose in the process.

Behind her, the giant screen showed that her aura had taken a giant nosedive.

"Get the scythe!"

Pyrrha reappeared, sliding and jumping between the other combatants to reach Crescent Rose before Ruby had a chance to stop her. It was too big and unwieldy for the former to use, but she immediately tossed it out of the ring at Professor Goodwitch, leaving Ruby without a weapon.

Meanwhile, Weiss was in the middle of a beating as she struggled to fight off both Ren and Jaune simultaneously. The former seemed to have an answer for all her glyphs while the latter seemed to be taking the brunt of all her attacks.

The pair wasn't giving her enough time to create an ice wall or any sort of offensive maneuvering and she could feel herself getting tired, her attacks slowing as she failed to dodge the barrage being thrown at her.

Ren in particular had a fighting style not too dissimilar to her own, weaving close to her rapier and using the blade of his guns to block and redirect her strikes. He was too close for her to use her glyphs effectively, and no matter how she tried to move away, he was always close at hand.

Jaune was not a good fighter by any means but he was always nearby, defending Ren from her attacks and swinging his sword as if it were a baseball bat. Weiss could only block so many times before her aura gave way, sending her below tournament limits.

Seeing her teammates drop out one by one seemed to send Yang into a rage and she charged at the nearest JNPR member, who happened to be Nora. The latter tanked the punch to the gut in exchange for another swing at Yang's head. Magnhild connected with a boom, sending another shockwave through the stadium as Yang flew out the front doors.

Ariadne Black was the last of Team RWBY in the ring. She glanced at all four members of Team JNPR, who were slowly closing in around her, blocking off any hope she had of running away. Her only option was clear: She put Gambol Shroud back onto its magnetic clip and knelt onto the floor in surrender. The match was over.

** II **

The mood was horrible by the time Team RWBY returned to their room. Yang had disappeared from self-practice but returned for dinner. Over their meal, Weiss had listed more than 200 ways their fight had gone wrong. It ranged from Yang's impulsiveness to the way Blake had retreated.

"Why did you give up before the match was over?" Weiss demanded.

Ever since she had learned who her teammates were going to be, Blake could feel herself on edge. She jumped at the smallest sounds and frequently lost sleep. At first, she thought she might go insane from the stress, but as the weeks passed, it became clear her teammates were a lot easier to handle than she had first anticipated.

Unsurprisingly, the worst of the bunch was still Weiss Schnee. The scion of the Schnee family somehow managed to worm her way into every conversation.

"The fight was already over," Blake explained impatiently, "You were there. I couldn't beat all of them."

"You could have tried," She insisted.

"Why bother? If I know I'm going to lose in the long run isn't it better to conserve my aura for the next fight?"

"Maybe in a proper match but this was just practice. Who knows when we'll have another fight again? Now everyone in school will assume that we're both weak AND a bunch of quitters."

Blake had no problem with that. It was a complete surprise when Ruby had volunteered them for that fight. Blake hadn't planned for it. The move had come out of nowhere. Every combat student at school had seen them on that stage and if she could make herself less memorable by giving up, then she would gladly do it again in a heartbeat.

"I'm just saying, I think all of us could have done much better," Weiss concluded succinctly.

"I know we made a lot of mistakes," Ruby agreed. Everyone stared in surprise with their leader's input. Throughout the last month, the young girl had not been very talkative or even all that interactive. More often than not she could be found across the hall spending time with Team JNPR. To see her talking and agreeing with Weiss in a normal fashion was unheard of. The ice queen herself was left speechless at Ruby's new behavior.

"Actually, I have some thoughts about that fight too. I think the real reason we lost is because we don't work like a team," Their leader continued, "I think if we learned more about each other and made some new strategies, we could have won without a problem."

"Can we?" Weiss asked skeptically, "You're saying we don't work like a team, but we don't act like one either. None of you have shown any indication or initiative about doing this right."

"Maybe it's because you act like a know-it-all brat," Yang suggested.

Blake kept herself from speaking. She didn't know how she felt about Yang. Their time together in the Emerald Forest had been pleasant, but that version of her partner never showed up again. Now, she was just the hot-tempered girl from the first day of school.

"Ugh," Weiss rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest, "I'm not even talking about me. Ms. Mopey Darkness over there doesn't talk to anyone. Ruby never steps up to her responsibilities, and you're never around. Quite frankly, none of us like each other and I don't think that's changing anytime soon. Maybe if you spent a little more time thinking instead of sleeping aro—"

Yang rushed forward with her fists raised in the air, but Weiss's rapier was already pointed straight at her eye, "Sloppy. And impulsive. If I were an enemy, your aura wouldn't have been enough to save you."

Yang roared, grabbing the rapier by the blade while Blake and Ruby rushed to hold her back.

"Just let it go. It's not worth it," Blake soothed.

Yang screamed again before pulling herself out of their grip and leaving the room; slamming the door behind her.

Once Yang had disappeared, Ruby immediately turned on Weiss, "Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Do what?" Weiss snapped, "Lead? Interact with my team? Maybe it's because _you_ don't! Over the past five weeks, what have you actually done for us? _Your_ sister is never in class. She barely comes to practice, and she isn't the least bit cooperative. Maybe, just maybe _you_ should try doing something about it."

"What do you expect me to do?!" Ruby burst out.

"Oh, I don't know…Reprimand her?!" Weiss threw up her hands in exasperation, "You're our _leader._ Why don't you act like it?! Have you ever considered sitting her down and talking to her about her problems?! You seem to have no issue doing that with me, but once it comes to your _precious older_ _sister_ , you run away like a coward. She's dragging down both our grades and our performance, but you don't seem to care!"

"I'm trying!" Ruby stomped her foot into the ground, "I only volunteered us for combat practice today because I wanted you to see how much better we could be! I thought if we fought with Jaune, you all saw how much better he's doing with his team and—"

"Wait," Blake cut in, "You signed us up for that fight thinking we would _lose_?"

"I—," Ruby's eyes darted left and right uncomfortably. She had clearly said more than she intended but it was much too late to back down, "Yes! I signed us up thinking we would lose. But I didn't have a choice! There was no way we could have won. They train together every day. They know each other inside and out. Compared to us, they actually look like professional Huntsmen and Huntresses! I thought losing to them would bring us closer together…"

"Well, you certainly did a good job with that, didn't you," Weiss replied sarcastically.

"Hey! At least I'm trying! Isn't that what you wanted!" Ruby cried.

"I wanted Pyrrha!"

The room fell into an icy-cold silence. Even Weiss appeared taken aback by what she'd said, guilt written plainly all over her face.

When Ruby spoke again, her voice was small and timid, "…What do you mean you wanted Pyrrha...? You asked me to be your partner…"

Weiss somehow maintained her haughty composure while simultaneously looking uneasy, "After…After we made it back to the school, I asked Professor Goodwitch if I could switch partners."

"I don't—What…" Ruby spluttered.

"This isn't what I wanted! I'm not here to make friends, Ruby. I'm just here for my grades and my license and you're not cutting it. You're not a great fighter and you're a horrible leader. What else do you want me to say?"

"Then why are you still here?!" Ruby screeched.

"Professor Goodwitch said no, obviously. I'm trying to make the most of it. You should too."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means…" Weiss sighed as she massaged the area between her eyes, "That I'm trying to be a good team member even though I don't like it. But this only works if you're a good leader. So _you_ do your job and I'll do mine. I'm going to get ready for bed. We have class tomorrow."

Weiss brushed passed her and walked out of the room, leaving Blake and Ruby by themselves. She watched her leader with some sympathy. The two of them hadn't spoken very much, but Ruby had been the most surprising of her teammates.

Silver-eyed warriors were famous for being powerful warriors but because of that, they were also given many special privileges in society and tended to die fast out in the field. Blake had expected someone confident, maybe even arrogant but Ruby had been the exact opposite.

She rarely defended herself nor did she ever ask for any special treatment. By any method of observation, she had been a quiet, modest girl.

"Do you think I'm a bad leader?" Ruby asked out loud.

Was Ruby talking to her? In the estimated 39 days they had been teammates, Ruby had never directly asked her an opinionated question. Blake looked around the cramped room several times before confirming that she was the only one left, "I don't know. I'm not the right person to ask."

She started to leave but Ruby's small hands wound tightly around her arm.

"Don't…Please… I know you're Yang's partner but please…Don't leave me here alone…" Ruby croaked. Her eyes were red and puffy like she might cry. Blake watched her with some discomfort but didn't move.

The two of them stood in silence, neither of them daring to move lest Ruby have a full meltdown. After a few minutes, the young girl tried speaking again while furiously wiping at her swollen face, "Am I…Am I a bad leader…?"

Blake glanced away so she wouldn't need to look at her leader's pathetic expression. Not for the first time, Blake found herself thinking it was cruel to put someone so young into a position with so much responsibility. What had Ozpin been thinking when he'd chosen Ruby over Yang or even Weiss?

"I really don't think I'm the right person to ask. I have a very… radical idea of leadership," Blake stated hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"My idea of a good leader probably isn't the same as yours or the others."

"Just tell me what you think," Ruby pleaded desolately.

Blake spent a couple minutes contemplating the question. Her only poles of comparison had been the leaders of the White Fang and they weren't exactly good topics of conversation.

Her father was a kind and gentle man for the most part. He had believed in equality but a larger part of him thought racism was an issue of the individual person and not of society as a whole. He thought the only way to change the hearts of humans was to show them that the Faunus were as peaceful as humanity. His resolve wavered and so did his leadership.

The second and current leader was different. She was strong. She believed sacrifices needed to be made to send a message. Her leadership was one of anger and retaliation. The Faunus would live how they wanted to live and death would come to anyone who tried to undermine them. It was a thought tapped into the emotions of their people and rallied them to follow their baser instincts.

And then there was Adam. The first time Blake saw him, he had been a mere eleven years old. A bloody bandage over his face made him stick out among the other broken and battered refugee Faunus. She thought he would need time to heal at first, but she was wrong. Within days, Adam took up his first mission for the White Fang and he never stopped. He volunteered for every supply run. He was at the front line of every battle and the last person out of training camp every night. He rose through the ranks like a missile, gathering supporters and allies among everyone who knew him. The Faunus he commanded chose him because they believed in him and him alone.

But Ruby didn't resemble any of them. The young girl didn't call others to follow her nor did she motivate them to do so. She was simply a child trying to step into a pair of shoes too large for her to fill, "You're… not a good leader."

Ruby's face fell with disappointment, but she didn't look the least bit surprised with Blake's response In the dim glow of the setting sun, she didn't seem like a Huntress. More than ever, she looked like an innocent and lost child. Not all that different from the girl Blake saw when she looked into the mirror, "I…I know I should do something, but I don't know what it is! I feel like I always make things worse."

Blake found herself a nice spot on the ground against Weiss's bed, petting the seat beside her which Ruby gratefully took, "It's not entirely your fault. It's hard to be a good leader… The people who follow you might not agree with your decisions…"

Her mind went back to the day her parents left the White Fang. The yelling, the broken glass, her mother's tears and her father's frustration. All of it had been a result of her actions. Her ignorance and idiocy.

"But I think the first step is to do what you believe in, even if it's hard. Even if the others tell you that you might be wrong," Blake finished.

Ruby said nothing, taking a good long stare around the room. Shelves and beds were clearly marked with colors and tags. Their space was limited so the girls had improvised, stacking Yang's bed on top of Blake's while hanging Ruby's from the ceiling with thick rope and nails. The project had involved a little yelling, but it had been mostly harmonious.

Blake smiled a little at the memory, "You did a good job with this room at least."

"You think so?" Ruby asked uncertainly.

"Sure," Blake encouraged, "Everyone needs to start somewhere, and you started here with bunkbeds and colored stickies."

"Thanks. Ariadne," Ruby whispered gratefully.

"Just call me Blake."

Ruby repeated the name quietly as if to taste how it sounded. The quiet murmur left the room in an untainted silence as the sky grew dark, the sun disappearing beyond the horizon. Neither of the girls felt inclined to speak, simply finding comfort in knowing there was someone else close by.

Weiss returned to the room about an hour later. By then, Ruby was asleep on the floor, curled up into a protective ball with the back of her head resting against Blake's thigh.

Weiss walked around them with careful and quiet steps, "Is she okay?"

"I think so," Blake answered, "She's had a rough day."

Weiss sighed again. The guilt marginally more pronounced, "They're not going to get any easier. If she's serious about being our leader, she needs to do better."

Blake said nothing. Internally she might have agreed with Weiss's opinion, but she wasn't ready to say that out loud. At least Ruby was trying. That was more than what Blake could say for herself.

With Weiss's help, the two girls carried Ruby back to her own bed before winding down for the night. As Blake closed her eyes to sleep, she saw the face of her parents. Her father teaching her how to fight. Her mother combing through the knots in her hair. For the first time in years, they were smiling.


	6. Conflict Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake meets a familiar face and Ruby is excited to receive a visit from her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Volume I: Chapter 5

The world grew dark, enveloping her in a warm embrace despite the late autumn winds biting at her cheeks. Behind the deep nothingness of her mind, she could hear the rustling of leaves as they drifted from the top of the tallest trees. The air was still as her emotions were held at bay, watching her as if from a distance.

But then the barricade lifted, and they all came flooding back at once. She sucked in a deep breath to keep herself from falling apart as her eyes shot open as Beacon's courtyard flooded her senses.

A multitude of colors filled in the lines of between her vision: A bright blue sky. Fluffy gray clouds. Leaves turning yellow, brown and red with the changing of the seasons. And finally, a man in green sitting cross-legged to her right.

"It's getting worse," He remarked with a note of a question. Blake didn't immediately answer him, saving her attention for the immediate concern of normalizing her breathing. To go from nothing to a world full of sights and sounds was always a little disorienting.

She motioned with her hands that she was okay, and he didn't press her any further.

Lie Ren picked himself off the ground, dusting off his clothes while he waited for her to do the same. After Blake had reoriented herself, the pair started back for their dorms. The hallways were still relatively empty but that was normal for 9am in the morning on a weekend.

"Thank you," Ren said abruptly once they were well on their way.

"For what?" Blake asked with mild surprise. When she had first started to join him for mediation two weeks ago, he had not expressed any sort of interest. There had been no consensus or arrangement. He had merely been there, and she had simply chosen to sit with him.

"You have given me a good gauge of how my semblance is working. It seems to be getting worse," He remarked colorlessly.

"It's not getting worse. It's getting stronger. To the point where I go numb, and when you stop, it feels like too much is happening at once," Her statements felt like a jumble and Blake was afraid he wouldn't understand what she was saying, "It's like getting hit by a truck."

Ren drank in her criticism slowly, perhaps putting pieces together that she couldn't see or understand. Semblances were a complicated thing, and Blake couldn't begin to try and appreciate the complexity of his.

"If anything, I should be thanking you," Blake announced, "I've felt a lot better ever since I joined you for meditation."

And she had. Her nightmares came less frequently, and she no longer felt nervous all the time. While her mind still frequently drifted to Adam and the White Fang, it no longer occupied all her thoughts.

"I don't believe that's entirely my doing" Ren observed, "Your dorm has been quieter lately."

"My teammates have just decided to not kill each other," Blake deadpanned. In the weeks since her conversation with Ruby, the arguments within their ranks had grown less frequent but that wasn't a result of camaraderie. Yang had simply stopped appearing and the rest of the group had wisely determined it would be a waste of time to keep arguing about it.

But Ren was not privy to such detrimental knowledge and continued his praise of their newfound affinity, "That's good. Being in a team is sure to help foster a better state of mind."

"Are you saying that from experience?" She teased.

"In a sense. Nora is much happier now," Ren's expression didn't change but his eyes seemed to grow softer as he recalled some memory Blake had no part of. He was not an emotional man by any means, but even Blake could tell that Nora was special to him. "I think being at Beacon with Jaune and Pyrrha has fixed a part of her that I could not."

He didn't seem bitter or jealous with that statement. He had said it like an observation or a note, similar to the way he talked about the effects of his semblance.

Blake wasn't sure what to make of it but was saved from having to respond as they reached their respective dorms. The pair said their goodbyes at the door, and Ren disappeared into his room.

In her own dorm, Blake was surprised to find Ruby awake and reading in bed. Her leader's head bounced as she entered, "Good morning, Blake! You're up early. Where were you this morning?"

"Nowhere," She lied. While Ren didn't ask personal questions, Blake didn't quite trust Ruby yet to do the same. The girl was pure, but she was also young and curious. And maybe just a tad too talkative, "Just some early morning meditation. Why are you up so early? Where's Weiss?"

"Weiss woke me up to study for Professor Oobleck's history exam on Monday. She's in the library right now getting me some more study materials," Ruby stuck out her tongue before jumping down off her bed to hand Blake a book, "Here. You can have this one back."

The one truly positive thing to come out of their prior infighting was her newfound friendship with Ruby. The two didn't have very much in common except for a mutual love of fiction. Recently, they had started swapping books, arguing about characters and story details.

Blake took the story back with mild surprise, "That was fast. I only gave this to you a few days ago. Did you like it?"

"Yeah! It was great!" Ruby shifted uneasily on her feet, "Do you have anything else?"

Blake grabbed the next book in the series, "They made four in the collection. They were all fantastic. Which character did you like better? The ninja or the vampire?"

Ruby's face twisted with horror, "Oh…Umm…The ninja, probably?"

Blake studied Ruby's evasive expression and her worried eyes. She kept fiddling with the bottom of her cape and refused to meet Blake's gaze when she spoke. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the girl was hiding, "You didn't like the book."

"It's not that I didn't like it…" Ruby tried unsuccessfully.

"What didn't you like about it?"

"It was fine…"

"Just tell me!"

"I don't know!" Ruby blurted out as she used her hood to hide even more of her face, "It just seemed like nothing was happening since all they did was talk. There wasn't any adventure or mystery. I don't know! I…guess I was just… bored?"

The complaints stung a tiny bit, but Blake swallowed it without much trouble, "It's okay if you didn't like my book... It's not something you need to lie over, Ruby."

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings," Ruby mumbled in the red fabric now covering her entire body, "Are you mad at me?"

Blake searched through the small collection of books she'd kept beside her bed, "No. Don't be silly. It's okay to be honest with people. You shouldn't lie just because you think you might hurt their feelings."

Her fingers paused in midair at the hypocrisy of what she was saying. Hadn't she lied to Ruby just minutes ago? Wasn't she lying to her whole team? After months of living together, they didn't even know her real name. Her reasons were different, but the end result was the same. Her fear was robbing them of the truth.

But Ruby didn't seem to notice her inner dilemma. Her leader was staring pointedly at her toes in shame.

Blake barely resisted the urge to apologize as guilt flooded her system. What right did she have to lecture Ruby about honesty? She hastened to change the subject, "Do you want to try reading something else? I don't think I have any more adventure novels."

"That's okay," Ruby answered quickly. Her hood was still hiding a large part of her face, but her demeanor had brightened considerably with the new topic, "Do you like the book I lent you?"

The short graphic novel was still sitting underneath Blake's pillow. She had read about 1/3 of the story before hiding it away. The entire plot had been very childish, and she could only vaguely remember something about a space monkey fighting alien invaders, "I don't think action novels are for me either."

"Why not?" Ruby queried cheerfully, "You're a Huntress. You're just like Kogu from the story! Beating up bad guys and saving the world!"

Blake resisted the urge to turn away, "But the hero of one story is the villain of another. Gateva is only doing what's best for his people and his planet, but since the story is about Kogu, Gateva won't ever get the chance to win. He's always destined to be the loser."

"Oh…" Ruby mused over the idea as if it had never occurred to her, "I didn't think about it like that... But you're right... Gateva is just doing his best, isn't he? That's a little sad…"

"Not everyone gets a happy ending…" Blake's voice grew even softer than before. She let her gaze drift to the view outside where she could see the skyline of Vale against the morning sun. But far, far in the distance, Blake thought she could imagine the ocean and beyond that: The shores of Home.

"Is that why you like romance?" Ruby asked suddenly, "Because everyone gets a happy ending?"

"Sort of. They say love is never wrong…" It was an answer to Ruby's question, but it also wasn't. Her leader seemed to intrinsically understand that, because she remained quiet as she waited for Blake to finish.

"In a romance, you can see all kinds of relationships. Even the ones that others think are wrong might turn out to be the right one."

Ruby nodded, "Just like how I love Yang."

"Something like that," Blake answered with a little laugh.

Ruby's face brightened with a new idea, "Hey! Since we're running low on books, let's go shopping in Vale today. Ren and Nora work part-time at a bookstore. I'm sure they can give us a discount."

"Oh…" Blake started at the idea. All of her old fears came crashing back down at once. She had not once left campus since she'd arrived, and Vale was a sprawling metropolis. There were sure to be Faunus. What if someone recognized her? She would need to run. Everything she'd built over the semester would crumble. Blake scrambled for an excuse "We-we shouldn't go… What about Weiss? She'll come back from the library and she'll be furious when she sees you're not here."

"Oh!" Ruby hurried to their desk to scrawl out a note for her teammate, "It'll be fine! She'll read the note and she'll know I went out to read! Weiss won't mind at all."

Blake was fairly sure Weiss would definitely mind, "I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not? Are you low on money?"

She jumped at the suggestion, "Yes! I'm very very low on money. Actually, I'm running out of savings from home and I really shouldn't be asking my parents for more…"

"It's okay!" Ruby encouraged, "I get an allowance from Dad. I'll buy you one book as a present since we're friends! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

Before Blake had a chance to think of another excuse, Ruby threw her onto her shoulder and zoomed out the door like a rocket.

About an hour later, the two of them were lost in the streets of Vale. The sidewalks were packed with weekend shoppers, mothers taking their children to the park, and just students out for a day trip. Blake kept her head down, checking both sides of the streets for any suspicious characters, but no one seemed the least bit interested in her.

Everyone was staring at Ruby, giving her a wide berth and whispering behind their hands. No one dared to stand in her way, creating a clear path for them to walk through.

"Ruby, do you know where you're going? Let's just head back to the school."

"No, no. They've taken me here before. I know it. It's just around the corner."

Much to Blake's relief, even she could see the bookstore now: _Tukson's Book Trade_. Blake ran past Ruby to head inside.

A little bell tinkled with her arrival, and she was relieved to see the shop was empty. Nora was manning the counter with a grin, "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade. Home to every book under the sun. Are you here for some books, sweet stuff?"

Nora grinned while raising her eyebrows suggestively. Blake didn't know the eccentric girl nearly as well as she knew her partner but her chaotic energy wasn't exactly news. Since Team JNPR lived across the hall, Blake had heard the stories of their shenanigans, namely how the red head had been punished for tearing through the walls of the school late one night after a sugar high.

"I um—"

"We're definitely here for books!" Ruby cut in behind her as she arrived, "Hey Nora! Hey Ren!"

Ren waved from atop a ladder while Nora leaned over the counter to pull them closer, still grinning all the while, "I'm _sooo_ glad you came to visit us. It's so boring here when it's just me and Ren. Whatcha looking for? I've got heart-stopping mysteries, spooooky horrors, and if you want the _good_ stuff, they're in back, but that's for mature audiences only missy and I _know_ you're not old enough."

Ruby laughed, but Blake wasn't quite sure what to say. She turned to look at Ren who appeared entirely unconcerned with his friend's behavior. When she returned to the conversation in front of her, Ruby had already finished off listing her demands and Nora was leading them all over the small shop to collect her merchandise.

"If you want a REALLY good story, here's one about a guy who needs to save the world, but his only superpower is that he can rewind time by dying. Ooh ooh! Here's another one about a guy who turns into a slime! Or this classic one about a guy trapped in a video game battling his way back to the real world?"

Nora showed off nearly a dozen books and Ruby wanted them all, "That'll be 3,600 lien. Let me get you a box to carry them back!"

The shop was silent for a moment while Nora disappeared into another room, the only sounds being Ren pushing his ladder back and forth as he moved between the shelves.

"Oh no!" Ruby shrieked abruptly.

Blake jumped in surprise, "What? What's wrong?!"

"I got so caught up with Nora, I forgot all about getting you anything."

"It's okay," Blake said quickly, "I—"

But before she could finish, Nora had returned, and she wasn't alone. Following behind her was the owner of the book trade.

"No…" Blake whispered.

The large man standing behind Nora was in his mid-thirties, looking much as she remembered him. Nearly as tall as her father with broader shoulders and long sideburns, he was the only member of her family still working within the White Fang. He looked as surprised as she felt, "Blake… When Nora told me, someone was buying ten books at once, I should have known it was you."

"You two know each other?!" Nora squealed, "That's so exciting! Are you old friends?

Under her breath she added, "He's a little old for you, isn't he?"

"It's not like that…" Blake answered breathlessly, "I…I didn't make the connection. Tukson is such a common name."

"Yeah… Come with me to the back for a minute. Let's talk," He ushered her between a door while Ruby and Nora tried to peek through a glass window. He closed the shade before locking it behind him.

There was a hatch in the floor which led to a dusty cellar, lit only by one singular artificial lamp. Even in the dim blue light, Blake could see mountains and mountains of Dust. The snowflake of the Schnee Dust Company stared back at her from every corner except for one.

A large rocky cavity stared back at her. Shadows edged over the mouth, threatening of dangers beyond the threshold. Blake couldn't imagine where it would lead.

The moment Tukson closed the hatch, Blake practically pounced on him, "Those Dust robberies over the last two months were the work of the White Fang?! I thought the media was just blaming it on the Faunus as usual, but they weren't, were they?! Uncle Tukson, what is going on?! Why are you robbing helpless Dust shops that have nothing to do with our cause?! What are you planning?!"

"Blake," The one word sounded more like a cautionary command than her name, "This isn't your business. You're not a part of the White Fang anymore. You know better than to ask these types of questions."

"But you're here! How can you expect me not to ask you when I can see _everything_?!" Blake pointed one accusatory finger at the nearest crate of dust, "This doesn't make any sense! Where does this tunnel lead?! Why are you hiding in the middle of Vale?! Are you working for Sienna? No. Wait. It can't be… It's Adam, isn't it? Is he here? Is he coming for me?!"

Her uncle blinked rapidly in genuine surprise, "Adam…? You think Adam is after you?"

Blake sprang to her feet, "I betrayed the White Fang! I betrayed _him_! Why wouldn't he come after me?! He murdered helpless people on that train! They were unarmed! They were just trying to do their job!"

"They tried to stop him, and they were standing in our way," Tukson corrected her calmly. He studied his niece with a combination of both confusion and worry as if he couldn't quite understand what he was looking at, "What happened to you…?"

"What are you talking about?!" She screeched, "Nothing happened to me!"

Tukson let out a sigh, gently rubbing the top of his nose between his eyes, "I want you to take a deep breath, and think for a second. When has Adam ever hunted down the people who left the White Fang? You worked with him for two years. You've seen them leave. He never ordered us to bring any of them back. Why would you be any different?"

Blake fell into her seat with a thud. Her lips were dry. There was a whirlwind inside her mind as her uncle's words penetrated her brain like bullets. Adam had never been the type of person to hunt down deserters because he believed they would always find their way back to the brotherhood. And she had known this.

But hadn't she always known it?

She could still see that day clearly in her mind. The nightmares made it easy. She could remember the blood on her shoes. That one swing of her blade as she cut the line keeping them together. The gap hadn't been large. He was both stronger and faster than she was. He could have made that jump, but he didn't. He had chosen not to follow her.

So why? Why had she been so afraid of him finding her? What _exactly_ was she so afraid of?

Her uncle seemed curious to know what she was thinking but he didn't ask. Instead, he said, "But enough about Adam. Let's talk about you. Why are you training in Beacon?"

"How do you know that?!" Blake answered reflexively.

"You're wearing Beacon's double axes on your clothes. But even without that, I've got some sources."

"Who?!" Blake mind shuffled through the people she knew. Only one person really came to mind, and Blake couldn't imagine her as a secret spy for the White Fang.

But Tukson didn't respond to her question, quietly studying his niece as he waited for her to crack under the pressure of his gaze. It didn't take very long.

"I think I can help our people better as a Huntress than with the White Fang…"

Her uncle continued to stare hard into her face and Blake got the distinct feeling he didn't believe her, "You can't fix a broken system from the inside. Those were your words when you left the Menagerie. Do you remember that, or have you forgotten everything you fought for while pretending to be someone you're not?"

His attention shifted upwards to her bow and Blake desperately wanted to tear it off. To proudly rebuke everything her uncle was saying. Instead, she shrank away, watching the ground like a child awaiting their punishment.

But he didn't push her any further on the subject, reopening the hatch to let her leave, "Just go. I have things I need to do. Take care of yourself, Blake. I don't know what you're thinking, but I know Ghira and Kali are worried about you. Give them a call."

"I—I don't want them to know I'm here."

"Blake. Blake," He grabbed her by the shoulders in frustration and almost started to shake her, "They already know you're here."

That was too much information for her to absorb. She let her uncle push her back to the front of the store where Nora and Ruby were lying in wait to pepper her with a number of questions ranging from how they knew each other to the grisly details of their history. Tukson shut them down before they could even begin.

"Nora, give Blake a copy of Ninjas after Dark and Howling at the Moon. On the house. And no more questions."

Nora groaned in agony but didn't dare to defy her boss, wrapping up the books into a bundle and shoving them into Blake's hands.

Ruby was shooting a million questions at her, but Blake didn't hear a single one. Her mind was still inside that cellar pondering the things about herself she didn't understand.

** II **

Two weeks later, Ruby was whistling as she finished her classes, skipping down the hallway with an irritated Weiss beside her, "Would you stop that?!"

"But I'm sooo happy! My dad's coming to visit! I can't wait to show him our room and my new combat techniques and all the amazing things I've seen!" Ruby cheered, grabbing Weiss and shaking her without warning.

"Okay! Okay! I get it," Weiss slapped her away, protecting herself from another imminent attack with her textbooks, "Why is he coming again?"

"Well, the semester is going to end soon which means we'll get our first Field Mission and my birthday just passed! So Dad said he wanted to come and wish us luck and celebrate with a big dinner in Vale!"

"Really…" Weiss sounded as sarcastic as ever, "Is Yang going to be there?"

"Of course" Ruby sang.

"Then, where is she?"

Ruby looked around for her sister, but the girl was conspicuously missing, "I don't know… She was with us during combat practice. Maybe she's just in the bathroom?"

"Or maybe she's just doing what she always does," Weiss rolled her eyes, "Are you sure you're sisters? Are you sure you're even related? If I didn't know any better, I would say you were just two people on the same team."

"Of course, we're sisters," Ruby answered hotly.

"Then do you have the same parents? Because you seem awfully excited about your dad even though Yang hasn't said a word about it. In fact, _I've_ noticed she leaves the room whenever he's even mentioned."

"We're sisters," Ruby repeated, clearly annoyed, "Same mom. Same dad."

"Okay, okay. I'm just saying. _She_ certainly isn't singing about it."

The three of them, without Yang, headed to self-monitored sparring but Ruby couldn't seem to focus. Her mind kept looping back to Weiss's confident statements. Was she right? Yang _had_ been moodier than usual, but Ruby had written it off as her prolonged tensions with Weiss even though the Ice Queen had been considerably more civil as the months went by.

Ruby tried to push the thought away. Their dad couldn't possibly have anything to do with it. Yang was just being Yang. She would be there when their dad arrived. No matter how much they argued, she was sure to miss him by now. They'd been away from Patch for over two months.

Ruby's sparring performance was even worse than usual, with Weiss's glyphs frequently throwing off her momentum. Ruby hated fighting her teammates, but it was one of the few activities where (almost) everyone was together and participating.

Usually two of them would fight while a third person would make notes and record from the sidelines, but Blake had seemed preoccupied lately. Ever since their trip to the bookstore, their already-quiet teammate only grew worse. She was frequently staring off into the distance and often ignored their attempts to get her involved.

After a particularly strong icicle hit her squarely in the temple, the girls called it a day, and packed up their things to leave. Weiss and Blake headed to the cafeteria for dinner while Ruby headed to the docks to await her dad's arrival. The courtyard was vastly empty with most of the students either eating inside the school or down in the kingdom below. However, Ruby wasn't entirely alone. At the edge of the cliff, her headmaster was just disembarking from a shuttle ship.

Ruby rushed to his side, "Professor Ozpin!"

He blinked slowly as if he needed to readjust to the light despite it being well after sundown. The sky was already dark, the only lighting coming from the artificial lamps littered around the campus.

"Good evening Ms. Rose. I thought I might see you here tonight. I have something for you."

"You do?" Ruby queried cheerfully.

He pulled an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her, "I'm afraid your father will not be coming tonight."

"You…know my dad?" Ruby asked, slightly taken aback.

"Of course. I was already Headmaster when your parents were here. In fact, almost all the teachers here are…uncomfortably familiar with Team STRQ."

"What does that mean?" Ruby snorted with a laugh.

"I'm afraid you'll have to learn that on your own," The old man winked mischievously before walking away.

Ruby stared after him for a few seconds before examining the letter in her hands. It was just a plain white envelope without so much as an address or a stamp. Ruby tucked it into her dress before walking back to her room, slightly disappointed.

Upon arriving, she was surprised to see everyone was present and accounted for.

"Yang, you're here!" Ruby danced.

"Yup," Her sister wasn't nearly as excited to see her, choosing instead to stand coldly off to the side "I see Dad isn't around. Should've guessed…"

Ruby's cheer disappeared nearly as fast as it had arrived, "No… But he sent us a letter! Professor Ozpin gave it to me. I thought we could read it together!"

Yang rolled her eyes, "Yeah. Sure. Let's see what kind of excuse he has this time."

Ruby cleared her throat uncomfortably but opened the letter for them to read:

_Dear girls,_

_Something came up at the island and I won't be able to come visit you before the big day. Happy Birthday Ruby. I've added some money for you girls to celebrate. Good luck on your mission in December and remember to write home whenever you get the chance. You know the signal around here sucks._

_Love you both,_

_Taiyang_

"That's it?"

"I think so?" Ruby turned the envelope upside down to shake a few times, but only a few cards of lien dropped out, "What do you think he's doing?"

"Who cares? It's not like this is the first time," Yang spit.

"What do you mean?" Ruby tilted her head to the side in a question.

"He bails out on us all the time," Yang shrugged, "It's the only thing he's good at."

"What are you talking about? Where is this all coming from?" Ruby argued, "Dad's never bailed on us."

"Oh yeah...? Then where do you think he is right now?"

"I don't know… Maybe he's on an important mission. Saving the world is hard," Ruby protested.

"Oh. Sure… It's _sooo_ hard being a Hunstman he forgot he even had daughters!" Yang's voice rose sarcastically, "Use your brain, Ruby! Ozpin handed you that letter. There's no stamp on it! Dad is _here_. In Vale. He came, saw Ozpin and handed him that letter to give to us because he found something 'more important' to do in the city! I bet he's just schmoozing up the nearest waitress down at the club! I swear, you're the only person on this planet stupid enough to ever believe his lies!"

"Yang…" Blake tried.

But before she had the chance to defuse the situation, Yang turned on her as well, "No! You are supposed to be my partner! You're supposed to be on _my_ side! What happened to you saying you wanted nothing to do with Ruby? Were you just lying the whole time?!"

"It's not like that," Blake refuted, "It just sort of happened..."

"Oh yeah?! It just _sort of_ happened _._ Like how you _sort of_ sought me out in the forest and how you _sort of_ pretended to be my friend so you could get to Ruby. Save it! Just save it! I'm sick and tired of hearing all your lies!"

Blake took a step back, her face registering obvious hurt as she let her gaze fall to the floor.

Weiss's eyes quickly swiveled between her teammates several times before she snapped, pushing Blake aside defensively as she took the girl's place, "What is wrong with you?! _Blake_ is just trying to do her job! A job that _you_ don't seem to have any interest in! At least she comes to class. At least she participates when she's needed. _She's_ just trying to help _your_ sister! Where have you this whole time?!"

"What! You think you're hot stuff trying to defend them?! Well guess what, princess, they don't even like you. No one does. I bet your siblings hope you die in battle, so they won't need to split the company when your dad croaks!"

Red dots flushed Weiss's cheeks, "You're an immature! Impudent! Brat! When will you stop taking your anger out on everybody else just because your Daddy didn't love you enough!"

Weiss's words rang out like a gunshot. Blake let out the faintest gasp and Ruby's face lost any color it had. Everyone was watching Yang's reaction like hawks.

The girl's face was blank, as if molded by an artist in mid-stroke.

"…I dare you to say that again…" Yang whispered in a low menacing tone.

"Weiss!" Ruby warned ineffectively.

The girl in question took one poignant step toward Yang, standing so close together that their noses nearly touched. Luckily, the space between them was too small for either Myrtenaster or Ember Celica to be effectively used.

"I _said_. Stop projecting your insecurities at everyone else. You're supposed to be an older sister. Act like it…"

The two girls stared at one another in flimsy silence. Neither girl moved. No one spoke. The tension in the air seemed to stretch on for years, but Ruby didn't dare to break it.

After what felt like a century, Yang walked to her bed without any word of warning and pulled out her travel bag. She began packing up her things: books, clothes, and the various personal items she'd brought from Patch.

"What are you doing?" Weiss demanded.

"Leaving," Yang answered roughly, "I'm sick of this place. And I'm sick of you."

"Is this supposed to be a threat?" Weiss continued, unabashed, "What do you mean you're leaving? Where can you possibly go?! You're supposed to be a Huntress. We're supposed to be a team. If you have a problem with me, then we'll talk it out, and if that doesn't work, we can fight it out. I don't mind beating you again."

"Not now, Weiss" Ruby berated impatiently. She grabbed onto her sister's bag in desperation, "Don't listen to her, Yang. She doesn't know what she's talking about. You're not insecure. You're the best older sister I could ever ask for! Don't leave. Please. Please!"

But Yang merely took one painfully cold glance at her younger sister before pulling away her belongings and disappearing out the door.


	7. Conflict Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four girls go their separate ways in an attempt to deal with their inner turmoil. It doesn't bode well for everyone.

The world seemed to spin. It wasn't possible. Yang couldn't possibly just leave. It must have been a mistake or a hallucination. She couldn't possibly just leave.

"Weiss! We need to bring her back," Ruby demanded.

In comparison to her teammates, Weiss appeared incredibly nonchalant, "Why? Did I say anything wrong? Are you trying to tell me, she hasn't been taking out her issues on you? On all of us? Quite frankly, I'm happy she's gone. She'll go home, figure out her problems, and maybe she'll re-enlist when she stops being such a horrible person."

"She's not a horrible person! She's my sister and she's the most important person in my life! Go apologize to her right now!" Ruby screamed.

Weiss watched her outburst with just the slightest touch of contempt, "You want _me_ to apologize to _her_? Are you insane?"

Ruby wanted to rip her hair out in frustration, "You started this whole mess! Ever since the day we met, all you've done nothing is argue and insult her! Why can't you just mind your own business?! I never asked you to protect me!"

Weiss's face grew red with indignation, " _I_ haven't done anything wrong! Why can't you see that your stupid sister is the one with the problem?! This day started out fine! The three of us went to class, did our work, and had a perfectly reasonable day. Did I mention it was _just_ _the three of us_?! Your sister has never acted like she was a part of this team, and we don't need her!"

Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but Weiss wasn't done with her tirade.

"You're supposed to be a legend! You're supposed to be a descendant of the Gods. But look at you! You make yourself small and worthless to protect Yang's precious feelings and it's not working. Honestly, it's pathetic. Maybe it's time you stepped up to your actual responsibilities and let your sister handle her own problems."

"Shut up," The words burst forth from the depths of Ruby's mind. They kept coming without permission and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't stop, "I hate you! I hate you! I wish you were the one that left!"

Weiss glared back at her in anger, but underneath the bravado Ruby thought she saw some sadness too, "…Fine. I can do this on my own. I hope you find someone else to deal with _your_ mess."

With that last word, the ice queen turned on her heel and made her exit out of the room.

"No, wait! I didn't mean that! Come back!" Ruby screamed after her, but Weiss didn't turn around, her heels clacking loudly as she disappeared down the hallway.

Ruby's knees gave way beneath her and she crumpled to the floor. Why had _she_ been made the leader when she was the youngest? Why couldn't it have been Yang? It should have been her. On that day during initiation, they should have talked to Ozpin and asked him to give Yang the role. But it was too late. Everything was much too late.

"Ruby…?" Blake's soft voice broke through her ugly stream of thoughts. For a moment, Ruby had forgotten the quiet girl was still there, but the sight of her friend was like a blessing. At least there was one person left in her team.

Ruby threw herself into the older girl's arms, sobbing roughly into her shoulder. Blake pulled back in surprise but didn't push her away. After a few seconds, she could feel Blake pat her gently on the back.

The tears came relentlessly, and Ruby bit into her arm in an attempt to make herself stop. Her nose was stuffy and hiccups rose in her throat as she struggled to breathe, sucking in deep gulps of air through her teeth "I-hic-I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," Blake smiled gently.

"I swear-hic, Yang wasn't always like this. She -hic, we were really close when we were younger, hic-," Ruby sniffled, "I'm sorry. I'll go clean myself up."

"It's okay," Blake repeated. She handed Ruby a box of tissues before sitting down right there on the floor, "I can sort of understand how you're feeling."

"You do…?" Ruby asked uncertainly. _She_ wasn't even completely sure she knew what she was feeling.

But Blake nodded with a sympathetic smile, "I had a friend, more of a mentor actually. He was a few years older than we me, but we sort of grew up together. He taught me how to use a sword and I—I cared about him very much. But one day…he started to change. It wasn't something that happened overnight. It was gradual."

Ruby said nothing, lost in Blake's expression. Her eyes were wistful and sad. It was the first time she'd heard the girl speak about herself or her past in such depth, and her story shook something deep inside Ruby's core.

"At first, I made a lot of excuses for what he was doing. I told myself he was just having a bad day or that things would go back to normal after a few days. But then one day, I realized I could lie to myself anymore."

Blake took a deep breath before continuing, "Weiss could have done a better job of saying what she did, but I don't think she's wrong. Yang has some things she needs to work through, but they are _her_ problems. You are not the source, nor should you be the solution."

"Then what should I do?" Ruby pleaded.

"I think…I think the only thing you _can_ do is try. Just do what you think is right, while still being you..."

"But I _am_ trying," Ruby croaked. The world was still spinning. She thought if she kept talking, she might start crying again, "I thought giving Yang her space would make things better, but it hasn't. It's only made things worse."

"Ruby," Blake placed one solitary hand on her knee and the vision in front of her steadied. It was just Blake. Blake holding her in place, "I think you've spent a very long time lying to yourself. You weren't brave enough to confront Yang about what was happening, so you tried to act like you were just giving her space. I think maybe it's time to face… the real problem…"

Blake's voice trailed off as she appeared to see something behind Ruby's head. Ruby hersef turned to look behind her but saw nothing. She tilted her head to the side in expectation, waiting for Blake to continue, but the other girl was staring out the door at the wall of the hallway with the same lost expression she'd had all week.

After nearly a minute, Blake shook herself out of her trance and jumped to her feet, "I need to go."

Ruby's eyes grew wide with shock, "Go?! Where?!"

"There's something I need to do," Blake acknowledged resolutely.

"But what about Weiss and Yang?!" Ruby desperately tried to hold onto her one remaining teammate, but the girl was almost out the door.

"Weiss is just angry. She'll cool off in thirty minutes and then she'll be back for bed. You can apologize to her then. As for Yang…Well. You're our leader. Do whatever you think a good leader would do in this situation."

With that, Blake disappeared from the room, and Ruby was left alone.

**II**

Weiss grumbled quietly to herself as she walked towards the library. She deserved better than her team. She deserved better than her leader! How could Ruby still side with Yang after everything that hothead had said?! Both of those sisters were lunatics.

A flash of bright light from the holographic lamps assaulted her eyes, and Weiss immediately stopped in her tracks to recuperate. She had walked out into the courtyard without realizing it. The school was alive with activity as students from both the trade and combat programs were mingling all over the lawn and enjoying the first night of their weekend.

For a split second, Weiss felt entirely and unequivocally alone. What was it like to have friends? To have someone to play games with or share gossip. What was it like to have a sister who loved and praised you despite all your faults?

The feeling almost overwhelmed her, but Weiss forced the tips of her perfectly manicured nails into her palms. The swift pain sent her veins ablaze as her scar started to burn.

_She wasn't at Beacon to make friends. She was here to become the greatest Huntress Beacon had ever seen, and then she would conquer the continent of Solitas. She would do everything her grandfather did and more. And she would do it on her own._

Weiss repeated the mantra twice before unclenching her fingers. Red and purple half-moon crescents decorated the skin of her hands, scars overlapping one another like a patterned quilt.

She took two deep breaths before spinning on her heel and sauntered back into the school. She didn't want to be around these happy people anymore. They could afford to spend their weekends lounging around and having fun, but Weiss couldn't. There were more important things to do. Like studying!

Over the months she'd spent at Beacon, Weiss had learned to love the library. It was a perfectly symmetrical room with an arched ceiling and two rows of wide bookshelves on either side. Between them were 36 pairs of computer stations for staff and students to use. Combat students had priority over the lab's resources but there was plenty of space for everyone.

At the back Weiss found Pyrrha and Ren sitting at a large wooden table with several thick textbooks opened and scattered between them.

"Good evening," Weiss addressed them politely.

Pyrrha jumped in surprise at the greeting and her eyes grew wide as she stared at Weiss's face, "Good evening, Miss Schnee! This is a pleasant surprise. How are you tonight?"

Weiss ignored Pyrrha's question and placed her hand on the chair immediately in front of her, "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"No. Please. Feel free," Pyrrha appeared thoroughly rattled but remained polite as ever.

Weiss took the seat, folding her hands in front of her in what she hoped was a professional manner, "I'm here to speak to you about our teams. I'm sure, like myself, you've felt some dissatisfaction with the current situation. If I may be frank, your team is at best: subpar."

Weiss shifted her attention for a moment to Ren who still seemed preoccupied with the textbooks and notes in front of him, "No offense."

"None taken," He answered without missing a beat.

Pyrrha smiled at the exchange before pivoting back to Weiss, "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I have no problems with my team. In fact, I'm very happy with how everything turned out."

Weiss opened her mouth to agree before Pyrrha's words fully sunk in. But the moment they did, she couldn't quite believe it. Her mouth hung open slightly in shock until she realized how stupid she must have looked, "I…What?"

"I'm very happy with my team," Pyrrha repeated with a smile, "We've all become wonderful friends."

"But-But- This isn't about making friends. You're Pyrrha Nikos. You're the best combat student in Mistral, probably the best fighter of our entire generation and you're stuck with cannon fodder. Your leader can't even use a Semblance for crying out loud!" Several other people turned to shush her, including the librarian and Weiss's cheeks burned red with embarrassment.

Pyrrha giggled while hiding her mouth behind her hand, "They're not as bad as you think. They have their faults, but we all do-"

"You don't!" Weiss yelled again. The librarian icily walked over to their table to reprimand her and Weiss shamefully apologized under the old man's tirade of threats to kick them out. After a few minutes, he returned to his station at the front of the room with one eye resolutely trained on their table. Weiss tried to restrain her urgency to get back to the topic at hand.

"You don't have any flaws at all. Most people would kill to have you on their team…"

"I think you'd be surprised," Pyrrha laughed again, "But Ruby said something similar to Jaune not that long ago. She thought he was a perfect leader, but no one is perfect. Ren can tell you all about it."

Without looking up, he counted off a number of ideas as if they had been prepared beforehand, "You're inarticulate, too nice, and a sentimental decision-maker. You would rather let people make bad choices and hurt her feelings rather than tell them to fix their behavior. You can't multitask and are hopelessly single-minded in battle. This makes you horribly clumsy during day to day tasks and a poor negotiator."

"Exactly," Pyrrha nodded in agreement and didn't seem to take any offense to Ren's blunt characterization, "I might be a stronger fighter than most, but that's not the only thing that matters when it comes to being a leader. Jaune never stops trying to do better and he motivates everyone on our team to do the same."

"Does he really?" Weiss hissed skeptically, "The two of you are out here making study guides at midnight while he's probably sleeping in bed!"

"You only think that because you don't know him," Pyrrha argued cheerfully, "He's out practicing by the docks right now. He's out there every night after dinner. No matter what. Even if none of us have the time or energy to spar with him, he never stops training."

Weiss continued to glare at her in disbelief and Pyrrha was compelled to continue speaking to defend her leader, "We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Jaune and Nora just happen to be bad at studying. But that's what being a team is all about. Supporting each other through all the…quirks of our behavior."

"So you think I'm just a bad teammate then? I don't think I'm in the wrong here. Why should I support Ruby and Yang when they act out of turn? They're the ones with the problem. They should be the ones to fix it!" Weiss countered.

"It's not about being right or wrong," Pyrrha seemed even more flustered than before as she waved her hands defensively in the air, "I don't know much about Yang, but Ruby is still just a child. She's only fifteen. She needs encouragement and support to grow. As her teammate, don't you think you should be the one to give it to her?"

"She doesn't respond to it! I've been telling her what she's doing wrong but she doesn't even try to fix her mistakes. If anything, she just ignores me and goes on doing what she's always been doing," Weiss complained aggressively.

Pyrrha nibbled slightly on the tip of her pen before she caught herself in the act, hiding the evidence behind her other hand.

"There is a difference between criticism and critique. How is Ruby supposed to improve if you don't give her any direction? You need to do more than tell her what she's doing wrong. You need to help guide her into doing what's right."

**III**

When did Blake lose sight of what was right and wrong? She didn't know. When she was younger, she believed everything the White Fang did was right. When her parents left, her heart still belonged to the brotherhood, so she had followed them to Atlas. She had burned discriminatory shops and hijacked Schnee supply chains. Those things had felt right.

But what about everything after? She had helped kidnap board members of the Schnee Dust Company. She had let Adam torture them for information. She had let the violence and hate spread. All of it done in the name of Faunus equality. Were those things, right? She didn't know.

Things _were_ changing for the Faunus. They weren't even allowed into trade programs five years ago, but now there was the Faunus Equality Initiative. They could apply for city housing. They were eligible to run for city council, and they could vote at elections. Things were supposedly changing for the better.

She should have been proud, but she wasn't. Where had things started to go wrong?

It was almost midnight by the time Blake found the room she was looking for and rapped her knuckles against the door.

It opened to reveal a dark young man with messy red hair. An ugly scar ran down his nose to the right of his chin, marring an otherwise handsome face. His eyes were pure white, lacking any pupils whatsoever.

"Can we help you?"

"I—I'm looking for Velvet?" Blake explained uncertainly.

The girl in question appeared a few meters behind him, the top of her head just below his shoulder.

"Hmm…? Oh, it's you," Velvet displayed frank and open surprise at her visitor.

"Hi…" Blake started. She'd originally had a plan when she started walking, but now that she was here, the words seemed to escape her.

"Do you need me from something?" Velvet offered.

"No," Blake paused before changing her mind, "Yes. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Velvet ducked her head under her teammate's arms, the tips of her long ears grazing his elbow, "Let's talk outside."

Velvet shooed her teammate away, before closing the door gently behind her.

"I-" Blake started again, but Velvet held a finger to her lips.

"Not here," She whispered. I promise you Coco and Fox are listening at the door. Velvet ushered her some distance away until they entered an emergency stairwell. A quick survey of the surroundings told them they were alone and likely wouldn't be heard.

"We can talk now. I'll be able to see them if they followed us from here," Velvet smiled. There was a pleasant sugary sweetness about her, and Blake suddenly wondered what she was like with her teammates. Did they treat her any differently because she was a Faunus? Did _she_ need to act differently with them? A flood of questions entered her mind, but none of them were what she had come here to learn.

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Her lips were dry and defiant. Emotion choked at her throat. She shouldn't be here. She wasn't ready.

"I've met you before," Velvet said suddenly, and Blake took a step back in surprise.

"You have…?"

The girl nodded, "When my papa tried to get permission to live temporarily on the Menagerie, we met with the Chieftain a few times. You were always there. Taking notes and things. I remember thinking it was weird for someone so young to be doing things like that."

A memory came clearly to Blake's mind. There had been several interracial families over the years who had tried to make their home on the Menagerie, but they were almost always turned away. Blake had gone to every meeting out of both curiosity and obligation.

"Then that day in the cafeteria, you already knew who I was…" Blake confirmed at last.

Velvet nodded, staring at the top of Blake's head with a curious expression.

"And you…You know what I've done?"

"Not entirely," Velvet's eyes were lost in thought, "Every Faunus on Remnant knows the important things. I know your parents left the White Fang. I just assumed you left with them. Was I wrong?"

"Yes…" The weight of that single word made Blake want to run, but she had come for her trial and Velvet was the judge. She would listen to anything the rabbit-girl had to say even if she couldn't look her in the eyes.

But Velvet didn't actually have any questions about her past.

"I don't understand. Why did you come to me? You could have gone to the police or your teammates but you're here when we don't even know each other?"

"I…met with my uncle last week. He told me he has a source in the school. I thought—"

"It's not me," Velvet answered promptly. She didn't sound insulted, merely perplexed, "I'm not a fan of the White Fang or their methods."

Blake nodded slowly with some disappointment. She didn't think Velvet wasn't a member of the White Fang, but she was the only open Faunus in the combat program. She was also the only person Blake could turn to for her questions, "…Do you hate me?"

"…I'm sorry?"

"Do you hate me?" The words fell out of Blake's mouth like objects tied together with a string. They just kept coming one after another, "That day—Watching you get bullied by those other students- I've spent the last couple months living in fear. I kept telling myself it was because I was afraid to die, but I… I was just afraid of you."

"I'm not sure I understand?" Velvet's eyebrows were still furrowed in doubt.

"I…I've spent my whole pretending I was this great warrior protesting Faunus Inequality and trying to garner our people more rights but I- I don't know if what I did was right…"

Blake let the back of her head slide against the wall in exhaustion, "I've done horrible things in the name of equality and look where it's gotten us…You! You're still being bullied and discriminated against. Humans still hate us and I'm afraid! I'm afraid to look at you and see that I've wasted my whole life just to make yours worse!"

Blake's hands shook as she tried to explain herself. She didn't know if she was doing a good job or if she was just creating more confusion. But Velvet listened to her word vomit without interrupting her and after she was done, the silence echoed through the empty stairwell, sounding impossibly loud to their sensitive ears.

When as last Velvet spoke, it was like the buzzing of a whistle, sharp and painful, "I always thought the Faunus in the White Fang were insane. They were always so full of hate…and spite. I didn't understand it. Most humans were good people. Some of them bullied me, but I always thought it was because they were a bully, and not because I was a Faunus."

Velvet placed a hand on her shoulder and Blake involuntarily flinched, "But maybe… Maybe I'm only allowed to think like that because of the White Fang. Maybe it's only because there are people like you who struggle and make the hard choices, so I won't need to."

When Blake didn't respond, Velvet tried a different tactic, "I regret not doing more for my papa at the Menagerie. If mum and I had said something. If we had fought back, maybe things would have been different."

"Nothing would have changed," Blake knew that to be a fact. To this day, humans were not welcome on the island, but Velvet's mind was not so easily appeased.

"Change doesn't come to those who do nothing. If I truly wanted my papa to live with us, I should have tried."

"There's nothing you could have done. You were just a kid!" Blake protested.

"And so are you," Velvet finished with a soft smile.

"I…" Blake wanted to believe she was right, if for no other reason than to make herself feel better about the choices she had made. But it was hard to believe, and even harder to accept.

Velvet seemed to notice her uncertainty, "You're trying to do better now, aren't you? Isn't that why you came to Beacon?"

"No!" Blake rushed to correct the misconception. It felt dirty, almost cruel that this woman would believe the best of her, "Coming to Beacon was the easy choice. It meant I could avoid facing the people I had left behind… It meant—It meant I didn't need to keep fighting and thinking."

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She was weak and frustrated, and she hated herself for being both. She didn't deserve anyone's compassion or sympathy. Blake hastily wiped at her face with her forearms.

Velvet either didn't notice or pretended not to, "Don't you want to be a Huntress…?"

"I don't know…Maybe," It was a question Blake had often asked herself after running into her uncle again, "I've always been told that being a Huntress was the most noble thing anyone could do. They're at the front line of every battle and are always fighting for the greater good. I thought… maybe, if I became a Huntress, I could make up for all the horrible things I've done."

Velvet pondered the dilemma for a few seconds. Between the gaping silence after her confession, Blake knew what it was the other girl didn't want to say. There wouldn't be any atonement for crimes. No matter how many Grimm Blake killed or the humans she saved, the people she let down would never come back.

"You can't fix the past," Velvet murmured suddenly.

"I kno—"

"But that doesn't mean you can't try."

It was the last thing Blake had expected Velvet to say, "…What?"

"Change doesn't come to those who do nothing," Velvet repeated, "If you want to fix the past, then you need to try. Even if it is impossible, you won't know that until you've given it your best effort. Isn't that better than just letting things happen without your control?"

It sounded like insanity. It probably was, but Blake didn't have the mental capacity to refute Velvet's reasoning. Because it _was_ better. Infinitely so. If she had tried to stop Adam on that train, perhaps nothing would have changed. Those civilians would probably still be dead, but at least she wouldn't need to wonder.

She would know.

**IV**

Out in the hangar, Yang was stomping her way to the edge of the campus. Vale was situated on a cliffside and the only way down to Vale was by aircraft. Unfortunately for her, the first ride off the campus wasn't until the next morning.

However, the docks were blessedly empty. All the vehicles were lined up neatly along a row of ports. Far below her, she could see the kingdom was wide awake. Rooftops of varying heights signaled the homes of thousands of people inside. Lights glittered in the distance, representing life. Families.

Cold rage burned in her stomach.

"Yang?"

She turned around at the sound of her name to find Jaune Arc approaching with his sword and shield a few feet behind her.

"Oh. It's you. What do you want?"

"Nothing. I just—I was just a little worried…" His eyes strayed to the edge of the platform as he scratched the back of his neck.

Her mind followed his trail of thought and immediately she burst out into condescending laughter, "Did you think I wanted to jump?! Oh gods, you're an idiot."

"Huh," He chuckled, "Yeah a little bit. I don't know. No one really comes out here at night, and you seemed kind of unhappy."

The laughter instantaneously died in her throat. She didn't like the man at all. There was nothing about him she found attractive and their encounters had not been pleasant in the least. He wasn't what she would have called a friend or even an acquaintance. The beginning and the end of their connection was his friendship with Ruby.

"What do you know…?" Yang muttered bitterly.

"Nothing," He admitted, "But, you're Ruby's sister, I care about her, and she cares about you."

"Right. Ruby's sister," She spit viciously.

Jaune's eyebrows drew together in bewilderment, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Oh no," Yang growled sarcastically, "It's absolutely great. Why don't you try it?!"

Jaune threw up his hands defensively, "Whoa! Whoa! Look. I don't know what happened between you two, but I think you should talk to her—"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"There is obviously—"

"Shut up!"

Yang threw her bag on the floor and stomped up to the moderately frightened-looking man, "You don't know anything! Why is everyone sitting on some high horse when they have no idea what it's like to be me?! I'm sick of being 'Ruby Rose's sister'!"

Jaune's expression changed from apprehension to shock before finally settling on something close to pity. It was ugly and twisted and Yang wanted to rip his face in half. She couldn't stand to look at it. "Get away from me."

"Wait!"

As she motioned to leave, his hand reached out to grab onto her shoulder. Reflexively, Yang reached behind her for his elbow and forearm before throwing him over her head. He flung forward, smashing into the ground with a sick thud. The resulting recoil sent a myriad of cracks cascading through the floor.

"Don't ever touch me again," She whispered with as much venom as she could muster.

Yang reached down to get her things and leave, but Jaune's fingers wrapped around her ankle, feebly holding her in place.

"Fight me," He said forcibly, "If I win, you need to listen to what I have to say for ten minutes."

"And if I win?" She scoffed. It was an empty question. There was nothing she wanted from this inconsequential little man. On the plus side, he couldn't even stand, let alone fight.

"You can do anything you want to me for one day. Twenty-four hours." He offered.

Yang wanted to laugh. What a paltry reward for a paltry man, "You're on."

Without waiting for him to reply or get up, she pulled back Ember Celica before repeatedly punching him in the chest. She got about two hits onto Jaune's armor before he remembered he owned a shield.

A cascade of bullet casings trickled onto the ground with every attack, the little explosions clouding both her eyesight and her field of vision. The smoke burned her eyes, but she didn't care. The onslaught continued until she pulled back for a swing and her knuckles slammed into the tiles of the docks.

He was gone.

Yang took two steps back as Jaune lunged down through the haze with the sword held high above her head. Her arms reflexively came forward to block the attack before shoving him backward. Any experienced fighter would have been able to block her next punch, but Jaune's untrained reflexes just weren't good enough.

He took the full force of her strike straight to the gut as he went flying into a wall. His aura glowed yellow over his body before dying completely.

"You lose," Yang mocked casually.

Jaune crawled to his feet, using his sword to pull himself back up, "It's not over… I can still fight."

"You really can't." Yang warned. She flicked her wrists as Ember Celica retracted back into two circulars bracelets on her arm, "Just stay down."

"This isn't over…" Jaune crouched into a wide defensive stance despite his clear exhaustion.

"It really is," Yang continued. Did he know what it meant to fight without his aura? It was possible he didn't. Every one of her bullets would tear through his flesh. A single punch could be enough to kill him. There was nothing left to protect him.

Despite his clear fatigue, he started to charge forward with his shield in front of his face.

Yang's fingers hesitated over the safety lock of her ammunition. This was his own fault. He should have stayed down. He should have just left her alone.

But he was also an idiot.

Yang flipped the lock before breaking into a run. She didn't need her gauntlets to send him to his knees. Her arm pulled back as she prepared to strike, but a red cloud of rose petals blazed into her path and instead of flesh, her fists met steel.

"Ruby?!" She and Jaune screamed at the same time. Her sister was crouched into a half-stance, the flat form of Crescent Rose acting as a shield against her attack. Yang pulled away to glare at her younger sister, "What are you doing here?!"

"I want to talk to you!" The girl squealed, "I want to know why you're acting like this!"

"We're in the middle of a match. Get out of the way," Yang snarled.

"You've already won!" Ruby yelled, "Why are you still fighting?"

"He says he can still fight. And if he wants to finish this match, I am more than happy to end him!" Yang spun around, flipping the safety of her gauntlets as the back of her leg knocked Ruby out from the side.

The younger girl let out a surprised gasp, before flipping multiple times to twist back into an upright position with her semblance, "What…What are you doing?!"

"Finishing what I started!" Ember Celica had expanded again as a new round of bullets shifted into place. Yang dived forward but Ruby was ready this time. She flew back onto a crouch to parry's Yang strike, but the latter didn't stop there. A flurry of punches came one after the other against Crescent Rose's metal casings but the scythe never emerged.

"Yang! Stop! I don't want to fight you!"

"Then you should have stayed out of my way!"

Yang changed direction, jumping on top of the weapon to kick her sister at the temple.

Crescent rose transformed at last, the blade of the scythe digging into the ground to keep her sister from flying too far. Ruby swung herself back into the fray, but Yang was upon her once again. She swung underneath the handle of Ruby's weapon straight into her belly, sending her flying into the air.

A rough gasp escaped her as Ruby unconsciously let go of Crescent Rose, the weapon clattering uselessly to the ground. Yang kicked it away. They both knew she was practically helpless without it. The match was essentially over.

"Why did you need to get in my way?" Yang whispered to herself as she took in a deep breath through her nose, "This wasn't about you..."

"It _is_ about me…" Ruby whispered uncertainly. She was on all fours, sweating profusely into her clothes. There were several shallow tears in the fabric, but she was essentially uninjured, "I won't let you hurt Jaune. I'm your leader… And it's my job to stop you!"

"My leader…?" Something about the words didn't taste right on Yang's lips. It felt unreal, like a memory that may have been a dream, "Why are you my leader, Ruby...?"

"I…" Before Ruby had a chance to formulate a response, Yang started to laugh. It was a shrill and high-pitched scream hammering into Ruby's eardrums and piercing her with apprehension.

"Why is it always _you_ …?" Yang's whisper was broken, as if she were crying without any tears, "They gave you _everything_. Mom. Dad. Uncle Qrow. And now Ozpin. Why is it _always_ you?!"

"I'm sorry—"

"Shut up!" Yang screamed. She flung her arms out in a punch and the bullet's explosion went off an inch to the right of Ruby's head, "Why do you always do that?!" Ever since we were kids! You were always apologizing! And for what?! Why?! Do you even know why or are you just saying it because you think it will make all your stupid little problems go away!"

"I—"

"You. You! You! You! It's always about you! All anyone ever sees is you! I've fought… and crawled through Signal to make it into Beacon, but no one cared. No one even _sees_ me next to you!"

"That's not true!"

Yang backhanded Ruby across the face, leaving a pulsing red print against her sister's cheek, "Shut up! When Mom died, Dad just packed up his things and left. Do you know the _only_ thing he said to me before disappearing?!"

Yang slammed her fists into the ground and the cracks rippled through the tile in jagged lines.

"He said, 'Take care Ruby'. Not, 'How are you doing Yang?' or 'I love you' or 'I'll be here now that Mom is gone'. He didn't care about me. He has _never_ cared about me. It was always, _always_ about you. But I listened to him anyway! I protected you. Because I loved you. Because I thought we were a family..."

"We are a family!"

Yang roared shooting several blasts into the distance behind her. "We're _not_ a family! Our family only ever consisted of Mom, Dad, and you! I'm just some… _thing_ that Dad tried to pretend never happened!"

Ruby stared in mute horror at her sister's face. Yang looked like a different person. Her eyes were deranged, burning with unbridled anger while her hair seemed to glow in the darkness. A wild flame intent on burning everything in its path.

"But I could have lied to myself… I could have pretended to be stupid, if only you had listened to Mom… But you didn't… Why did you follow me to Signal and Beacon…? _Why_ couldn't you just do something else…?"

Her eyes returned to their normal, purple shade and she let the fire leave her hair. There wasn't any point arguing with Ruby. All of it was much too late.

She tried walking back over to her things, but before she could reach them, Ruby's arms wound around her waist to prevent her from moving., "No! You're not leaving! I don't understand anything!

Yang pried her fingers loose before pushing her away, but Ruby still had enough aura left to use her semblance. The younger girl chased after her, grabbing onto her like a medium-sided octopus, "I'm not letting you go until you explain! I don't care if you hate me! I won't-!"

The anger roared back to life and Yang pulled back Ruby's tiny fingers before kicking her younger sister directly in the chest. Ruby didn't have the energy or balance to block the attack, flying into the wall as her head slammed unnaturally against the cold marble with a dull crack.

Her aura flashed red, before dying away.

At the back of her mind, she could hear Jaune repeatedly calling out her sister's name. She could see him crawling up to her limp body and cradling her head in his arms as he screamed for help.

But a dull ringing had filled Yang's ears and there would be no going back. She pulled away in horror before running from the scene. Whatever else she might have felt, she hadn't wanted this. The taste of bile rose in her throat as the images of Ruby's broken form flashed in her mind.

She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. All she wanted to do was get as far away from Ruby as she possibly could. When she could no longer bear the acidity in her throat, Yang collapsed onto her knees and vomited into the grass.


End file.
